With Ian Heinisch out, Sam Alvey targeted to fight Phil Hawes at UFC Vegas 47

Sam Alvey has a new opponent for UFC Vegas 47 on February 5.

Alvey was set to fight Ian Heinisch but Heinisch has been forced out of the fight due to undisclosed reasons. Now, sources tell MyMMANews that Phil Hawes has agreed to step up to face Alvey on February 5. Contracts are expected to be issued soon, the sources say.

Sam Alvey (33-16-1 and one No Contest) is on a seven-fight winless streak and suffered a split decision to Wellington Turman back in August. Prior to that, he suffered a submission loss to Julian Marquez in April in his return to middleweight. In the fight before, he fought Da Un Jung to a controversial draw as many thought Alvey did enough to win. His other losses during his skid were a split decision loss to Ryan Spann, a decision los to Klidson Abreu, and TKO losses to Jimmy Crute and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. His last win came back in June of 2018 where he beat Gian Villante. In his career, the fan-favorite holds notable wins over Rashad Evans, Marcin Prachnio, Nate Marquardt, Dan Kelly, Cezar Ferreira, and Gerald Meerschaert among others.

Sam Alvey

Phil Hawes (11-3) is coming off a stunning first-round KO loss to Chris Curtis at UFC 268. Prior to that, Hawes was 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Kyle Daukaus, Nassourdine Imavov, and a one-punch KO over Jacob Malkoun. His other two losses came in back-to-back fights as he lost to Louis Taylor in WSOF and the fight later was knocked out by Julian Marquez on the Contender Series. He also lost a decision to Andrew Sanchez in the fight to earn his way into the TUF house.

With the addition of Sam Alvey vs. Phil Hawes, UFC Vegas 47 is as follows: