Thiago Alves needed a win against Papy Abedi at UFC 138 and he got it. Alves beat the UFC new comer to the punch over and over again before dropping him with a combination and finishing the fight with a rear naked choke.
Alves came out early landing sharp leg kicks and moving out of range of Abedi's punches early. Abedi forced a clinch about two minutes in and landed some punches on the break. Just as Abedi looked to be holding his own, Alves put him on queer street with a combination of punches and Alves pounced. He dropped Abedi and followed him to the ground for the rear naked choke finish.
This marks Alves' first submission victory after 16 bouts in the Octagon. He missed weight for this fight on his first attempt to weigh in yesterday, but was able to make the 171 pound limit on the second try.
Alves desperately needed the win after going 1-3 in his last four fights. He remains way out of contention in the UFC's stacked 170lb division, but he's back on the right track after this win.
Abedi drops to 0-1 in the UFC and 8-1 overall. Look for him to get a second chance in the UFC when they next come to Europe.