"I want to be with the belt around my waist, that's where I want to be. I'm not stopping until I get the belt and when I get the belt, I'm going to keep it for a long time...I'm one of the strongest 170 pounders out there and I'm not moving. I'm going to be the champ at 170," stated UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves as he talked about his future plans after his dominant win over Josh Koscheck this past weekend at UFC 90. Check out what he had to say about his performance, a fight with Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn and much more.
PC: Congrats on the big win at UFC 90.
TA: Thank you!
PC: How do you feel about your performance my man?
TA: I feel really good man. I was really confident and I was just doing my thing man and doing my job.
PC: We've seen Diego Sanchez strike a lot more lately so were you training for a striker or a wrestler? In either case, the switch to Koscheck wasn't that bad, no?
TA: I was training for a wrestler. Diego is a wrestler. He's improved his standup and everything, but I knew he wasn't going to stand with me. I knew he would try to take me down. I was getting ready for a wrestler bro. the only thing is Diego was a southpaw so I had to change the stance, but I was fine.
PC: So you didn't have to drastically change your gameplan?
TA: No, I didn't change much. Like I said, just the stance from southpaw to a righty. The only thing is Diego is more well-rounded once it hits the ground. He's more of a Jiu Jitsu guy. Koscheck is dangerous. He's a dangerous striker. He throws a hard overhand and he's got a good ground and pound game. I think it was a better matchup because he beat Diego before. He was a better fighter.
PC: It appeared, on a couple occasions, that you could stop Koscheck. Were you surprised at how tough he was to endure some of the shots you hit him with?
TA: No, not at all. I knew Koscheck was a tough guy. I felt like I could've finished the fight in 2 or 3 instances. I could've went for it, but I was just taking my time and enjoying myself. I knew Koscheck wasn't going to go down that easy so I didn't want to take no chances or a risk because Koscheck's a tough guy and we're fighting with these small gloves. You know how this sport is. You can't think that you're good, confident and drop your hands and go out there all crazy. I was just being cautious and enjoying myself.
PC: You looked real relaxed in there. You seem to show us another aspect of your game every time out. The legs kicks were the trick this fight. Was that the plan, to chop him down so that those shots would come a little slower?
TA: Yeah, that was the plan, to punish him all of the time whether it was with the punches or kicks. I landed a couple of jabs, right hands and uppercuts and his leg was right there all of the time so I kept exposing it as much as possible.
PC: Your eye looked bad rather quickly after the poke. Fortunately, it was late in the fight, but how much did that affect you?
TA: Bro, it was really bad the first 30 seconds he poked my eye. I couldn't see out of my left eye. Even after we started the fight back, I couldn't see for about another 30 seconds. I was really glad he did that at the end of the fight. I was back to normal after awhile, but my eye is really bad man. It's swollen and it's cut on the inside, but I'm good.
PC: You're on a 7-fight win streak with 5 of those wins coming by stoppage. Do you feel like you're right where you want to be in line for a shot?
TA: No man. I want to be with the belt around my waist, that's where I want to be. I'm not stopping until I get the belt and when I get the belt, I'm going to keep it for a long time.
PC: I've read where a lot of people have concerns over you making 170 pounds on the dot. How do you respond to those people?
TA: I'm going to stay at 170. I'm not moving up. I feel very comfortable there. I'm one of the strongest 170 pounders out there and I'm not moving. I'm going to be the champ at 170.
PC: Koscheck deserves a lot of credit for taking this fight on short notice, but you should be praised as well because you had a ton to lose taking a last minute replacement with a possible title shot on the line.
TA: I was ready for a fight, you know? It didn't matter who it was. Every time I fight, my opponents have no face, no name or no body. It doesn't matter who it is. I was ready for the fight. Yeah, we had to change the opponent and Koscheck is a tough guy and everything, but I was ready for anybody that night. It didn't really matter who it was.
PC: In your last 8 fights or so, you've really taken your game to the next level. What elevated you in your mind to be the complete fighter that you are right now?
TA: I just took my job more seriously. I realize that this is my job. It's a 24/7 job and I have to live and breath and just put everything I have into fighting. It became more clear that this is my life after I lost to Fitch and a couple of other things that happened around me. I realize that this is my life and I want to be here. It's my reason to be alive today. And not just that, I have a lot of people that depend on me. I have my family and a lot of guys here that look up to me and expect a lot from me. I expect a lot from myself. The sky is the limit and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get where I want to be. I know I'm going to get there.
PC: It seems like the better the opposition is, the better you perform. With that being said, do you have a preference out of BJ Penn or Georges St. Pierre?
TA: It doesn't matter who it is bro. BJ Penn or Georges St. Pierre, I don't have any preference. Whoever it is, I will go there and do my job and knock them out. It doesn't matter which one it is.
PC: You continue to impress me my man. It was a great fight. Anything you have to say in closing?
TA: I want to thank all of my sponsors, TapouT, Champion Nutrition, Auto Excell and I have to thank Mr. Dan Lambert, who made everything happen; he's the man. I want to thank my coach and everybody.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]