UFC’s longest losing spree turns to teaching – Sam Alvey on his new career

Sam Alvey is a former UFC middleweight who has 33 wins in his career, 18 losses, 1 draw, 1 no contest.

But he is more famous for his losing streak. Alvey currently holds a record for most consecutive losses in UFC history with 9 defeats and a draw breaking BJ Penn’s record.

UFC allowed him to finish out his contract despite his last win being as far back as 2018.

Dana White revealed that he would not re-sign him following his last bout on August 10, 2022. Although he left UFC but he had no plan to leave MMA, initially.

Alvey revealed in an interview,
“I don’t feel any more pressure than I normally would. I’ve done more in this sport than most people ever will and I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to do. I’m going to be even more proud when I break this skid.”

Sadly Alvey would go on to lose yet again right after that interview. Unlike Alvey, BJ Penn was a champion and was widely hailed as a prodigy in the sport. So what did Alvey do to deserve to stay on the UFC roster?

Sam Alvey expressed anti-union sentiments in 2016, during the first and only legitimate attempt to create a MMA Athletes Union. The initiative was spearheaded by Georges St Pierre, Cowboy Cerrone, Lesley Smith, Tim Kennedy, Cain Velasquez, and T.J. Dillashaw. The names alone lended legitimacy to the movement but behind the scenes there was one actor who was slightly sketchy and Alvey spoke up against him.

“I’m strongly against the unions, I’ve said it before. The unions want to pay everybody the same amount, and I don’t support that. Conor McGregor earned his multi-millions by the way he runs his mouth and the way he wins. As much as I’m not a fan of his, I’m with that.”
“With a union, he wouldn’t be worth that. He wouldn’t get half of what he’s asking. Now for some of the guys that don’t stand out like him, I think a union could do well. But I think that they are taking something from someone that has earned it.”

There were rumors Alvey received $91,000 for his last outing in the UFC. But, Alvey revealed to ESPN that he earned $75,000 to show and $21000 incentive pay.

Alvey wasn’t talking retirement at the time of his last loss and was hoping the UFC re-signs him. It’s certainly interesting to see him get a career in education – especially considering his less than enlightened stance on the pandemic.

“Deaths are terrible, and I’m very sorry for all the families that have suffered through that but pneumonia, just a typical flu season right now has killed close to 20,000 people, and people just don’t pay attention to that.”

“It’s terrible that people are getting sick and not that many people are dying, but they still are, and that’s terrible, but when you compare it to any other flu season, even our current flu season, it’s killing 15 to 20,000 people in a three month span.”

Nevertheless he seems enthused by his career switch. This is something that Alvey should’ve considered a long time ago especially considering UFC was not even compensating him well for playing the company man in one of the most crucial periods for the promotion.