Joel Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has certainly earned the right to call his shot when it comes to who he’d like to square off against on the other side of the famed UFC Octagon in his first contest of his 2025 itinerary. Scoring a highlight-reel knockout in the opening round of his undercard fight against Drakkar Klose (15-3-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC), he’s already clamoring for another contest after the calendar turns over to 2025.
If Joel Alvarez gets his wishes, he’ll only have one fight remaining as a lightweight for his first contest in 2025, wherever it is or whoever it will be against.
Joel Alvarez Calls Out UFC Legend As Potential Future Opponent
In the aftermath of UFC Tampa over the weekend from Amalie Arena in St. Petersburg, FL, the home venue of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alvarez, nicknamed “El Fenomino,” met with the assembled media backstage at Amalie Arena. During Alvarez’s press junket, he delivered his plan of attack for the new year.
“I said if there’s going to be a UFC Spain, that would be my last dance at 155,” Joel Alvarez began. “Listen, I wouldn’t have an opponent in mind, but for my last dance, I’d fight somebody, whoever is coming back there.”
Alvarez’s potential plans include an MMA legend.
“I heard he might be coming back at 155 or 170, but that would be [Donald] “Cowboy” Cerrone,” Joel Alvarez continued.
Joel Alvarez on Donald Cerrone
In that same press conference, Alvarez spoke highly of a possible contest between himself and one of the most successful fighters of all-time in the UFC.
“It would be a dream,” he continued. “I heard it might be a possibility [that] he comes back and wants to have a couple [of] fights. It would be a dream for me to get a photo with him. Imagine [the chance] to fight him? It would be an amazing thing if he’s coming back. I’m not sure if that’s happening.”
Donald Cerrone (36-17, 1 NC MMA, 23-14, 1 NC UFC) initially hung up his gloves in the summer of 2022 upon sustaining a second-round submission defeat by way of guillotine choke at the hands of the winningest fighter in UFC history, Jim Miller (38-18. 1 NC MMA, 27-17, 1 NC UFC) during UFC 276 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Recently, “Cowboy” made his intentions known that he would suspend his retirement of nearly two and a half years to hit an important career benchmark: The 50-bout plateau under Zuffa ownership.
“Cowboy” Cerrone Remarks on His Comeback
Counting his appearances in the late WEC predating Zuffa buying the UFC in early 2001, Donald Cerrone has made the walk to the cage 48 times in a Zuffa-owned organization.
“I want to go back and get two more fights [with Zuffa],” Cerrone began in an Instagram video. “When I retired, I told you I was getting my hair done and get on steroids. The number 50 has been sitting on my mind for a while.”
Cerrone mentioned that he’s starting to prepare for a comeback after two years away from the cage.
“I’ve been working with Transcend for the last two years, taking TRT and a bunch of peptides,” he continued. “Now, we got a protocol for all you people that [think] ‘Oh. what if you get on it, you can never come off?’ Well, now I have to come off and piss clean, fight in a few months.”
Sizing Up a Potential Joel Alvarez vs. Donald Cerrone Fight
If this fight comes to fruition in the future, Alvarez is the taller man at 6-foot-3, compared to Cerrone’s 6-foot-1 frame. In addition, Joel Alvarez owns a four-inch reach advantage (77 inches to 73 inches) over Donald Cerrone, along with a 1 1/2-inch leg reach (42 inches even to 40 1/2 inches).
Donald Cerrone fell on hard times before initially retiring in 2022, having ended his MMA career with a record of 0-4 with one no-contest in his final five appearances under the UFC promotional banner.
Back in September of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cerrone saw his majority draw with Niko Price retroactively reversed to a no-contest. Price returned a positive marijuana test and received a six-month ban from competition.
Joel Alvarez Coming Into 2025 on a Roll
In the other corner, Joel Alvarez enters the new year having posted a mark of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a three-fight winning streak.
Prior to the Drakkar Klose knockout victory this past Saturday night, he finished Elves Brener (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) during the Aug. 3 UFC on ABC 7 main card opener from Etihad Arena from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates by way of third-round knockout (knee strikes followed by ground and pound.) In so doing, Alvarez scored the $50,000 (USD) Performance of the Night Award at the post-fight press conference.
Finishing out the old year with a three-fight winning streak is a major boon for Joel Alvarez, so can he keep it up? Only time will tell.
Final Thoughts
The identity of Joel Alvarez’s next opponent inside the Octagon won’t be definitively known for a while, but a possible pairing between him and Donald Cerrone would certainly be exciting stuff to watch on some distant Saturday night in the new year.
