# Joel Álvarez

Joel Álvarez González (born March 2, 1993) is a Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

## Early life

Álvarez was born in Gijón, Spain, on March 2, 1993, and spent his childhood in the neighborhood of the Pumarín industrial park. When he was 18 years old, he began to practice mixed martial arts at a local gym, the Tibet Sports Center, and later made his debut in several tournaments at the regional level.

## Career
### Early career

A professional competitor since 2013, Álvarez fought primarily in his native Spain and garnered a record of 15 wins against 1 loss in the first five years of his career. He was undefeated in the Spanish promotion Ansgar Fighting League (AFL), where he was the Lightweight Champion, after defeating Brazil's Julio César Alves by submission in the second round.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his debut, Álvarez faced Damir Ismagulov on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Álvarez faced Danilo Belluardo on June 1, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.
Álvarez faced Joseph Duffy on July 15, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 172. He won the fight via a submission in round one.
Álvarez faced Alexander Yakovlev on October 24, 2020, at UFC 254. At the weigh-ins, Álvarez weighed in at 159.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his purse, which went to his opponent Yakovlev. He won the fight via an armbar submission in round one.
Álvarez was scheduled to face Christos Giagos on May 15, 2021, at UFC 262. However, Álvarez was removed from the bout in early May due to alleged visa issues that restricted his travel, and was replaced by Sean Soriano.
Álvarez faced Thiago Moisés on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. At the weigh-ins, Álvarez weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight with Álvarez fined 30% of his purse, which went to Moisés. Álvarez won the fight via technical knockout in round one.
Álvarez faced Arman Tsarukyan on February 26, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 202. He lost the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round.
Álvarez was scheduled to face Zubaira Tukhugov on February 14, 2023, at UFC 284. However, Álvarez withrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Elves Brener.
Álvarez faced Marc Diakiese on July 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224. He won the fight via brabo choke submission in the second round.
Álvarez was scheduled to face Ľudovít Klein on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. However, Álvarez withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by AJ Cunningham.
Álvarez was scheduled to face Mateusz Rębecki on April 27, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 55. However, Álvarez pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.
Álvarez faced Elves Brener on August 3, 2024, at UFC on ABC 7. He won the fight by technical knockout as a result of knees and punches in the third round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.
Álvarez faced Drakkar Klose on December 14, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 63. He won the fight by knockout via a flying knee and punches in the first round.
Álvarez is scheduled to face Benoît Saint Denis on May 10, 2025 at UFC 315.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Elves Brener
* Ansgar Fighting League
** AFL Lightweight Championship (One time)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 25 matches | 22 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 2 |
| By submission | 17 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 22–3 | Drakkar Klose | KO (flying knee and punches) | UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Buckley | December 14, 2024 | 1 | 2:48 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 21–3 | Elves Brener | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov | August 3, 2024 | 3 | 3:36 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–3 | Marc Diakiese | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | July 22, 2023 | 2 | 4:26 | London, England | |
| Loss | 19–3 | Arman Tsarukyan | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green | February 26, 2022 | 2 | 1:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 19–2 | Thiago Moisés | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 1 | 3:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Álvarez missed weight. |
| Win | 18–2 | Alexander Yakovlev | Submission (armbar) | UFC 254 | October 24, 2020 | 1 | 3:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (159.5 lb) bout; Álvarez missed weight. |
| Win | 17–2 | Joseph Duffy | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 | July 19, 2020 | 1 | 2:25 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 16–2 | Danilo Belluardo | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith | June 1, 2019 | 2 | 2:22 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 15–2 | Damir Ismagulov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos | February 23, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 15–1 | Radu Maxim | Submission (triangle choke) | AFL 17 | November 24, 2018 | 1 | 4:29 | Langreo, Spain | Won the AFL Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Julio Cesar Alves | Submission (brabo choke) | AFL 16 | September 29, 2018 | 2 | 1:02 | Valladolid, Spain | Catchweight (161 lb) bout. |
| Win | 13–1 | Alexandre Ribeiro | Submission (triangle choke) | AFL 15 | May 5, 2018 | 1 | 4:17 | San Sebastián, Spain | |
| Win | 12–1 | Kevin Daniel Delgado | Submission (guillotine choke) | AFL 14 | March 17, 2018 | 1 | 0:26 | Las Palmas, Spain | |
| Win | 11–1 | Francisco Gonzalez | Submission (guillotine choke) | AFL 13 | October 14, 2017 | 1 | 1:59 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 10–1 | Jekson Poleza | Submission (triangle choke) | AFL 12 | June 3, 2017 | 1 | 1:57 | Barcelona, Spain | |
| Win | 9–1 | Anthony Muller | TKO (punches) | Fight Night Series 2 | March 18, 2017 | 1 | 0:33 | Montreux, Switzerland | |
| Win | 8–1 | Moncef Ed Doukani | Submission (anaconda choke) | MMA Casino Fights: Álvarez vs. Ed Doukani | October 8, 2016 | 1 | 1:45 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 7–1 | Jose Luis Bravo | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA Casino Fights: Álvarez vs. Bravo | July 8, 2016 | 1 | 0:49 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 6–1 | Carlos Villar | Submission (armbar) | MMA España: Bandog Challenge 3 | June 12, 2015 | 1 | 4:20 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Ali Abdulkhalikov | KO (spinning heel kick) | M-1 Challenge 56 | April 10, 2015 | 1 | 0:34 | Moscow, Russia | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 5–0 | Graham Turner | Submission (guillotine choke) | Rage in the Cage 3 | March 21, 2015 | 3 | N/A | Paisley, Scotland | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Jose Luis Bravo | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA España: Desafio Burgos Profight 2015 | March 7, 2015 | 1 | 3:20 | Burgos, Spain | |
| Win | 3–0 | Helson Henriques | Submission (anaconda choke) | International Pro Combat 6 | January 26, 2015 | 1 | 1:23 | Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Win | 2–0 | Hicham Rachid | Submission (triangle choke) | MMA España: Bandog Challenge 2 | April 12, 2014 | 1 | 2:01 | Gijón, Spain | |
| Win | 1–0 | Aratz Garmendia | Submission (triangle choke) | Txurdinaga Sutan: Pro Boxing & MMA | December 28, 2013 | 1 | 3:19 | Bilbao, Spain | |