Last year, Warlley Alves suffered two losses in his career and two losses in his life.
After having an undefeated record of 10-0, Alves had a rough 2016. He suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career to Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision. The same result occurred when he fought Kamaru Usman.
Outside of the Octagon, Alves lost two friends. Once of them was killed in a car crash. The other suffered a heart attack at the age of 26. Both men left behind a wife and child.
Alves is set to return to competition this Saturday (Oct. 21). He’ll take on Salim Touahri inside the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. The bout will be featured on the preliminary portion of UFC Fight Night 118.
“Slingshot” told MMAFighting.com that he is dedicating his upcoming bout to the families of his fallen friends:
“[Last year] was a really tough year for me, I had two losses in my career and two losses in my personal life. I can’t say how tough it was for their families and close friends. I was hoping that 2017 would be my year to bounce back, but then I had a biceps injury and had to postpone my return. … I’ll dedicate this win for their families.”
