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UFC lightweight Christos Giagos is intent on putting together a winning streak after getting back in the win column in December 2020. 'The Spartan' is scheduled to face Joel Alvarez at UFC 262 and he is unfazed by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess of the Spaniard heading into the May 15 showdown.
Joel Alvarez has scored 16 out of his 18 professional wins by submission. However, in an exclusive interview with John Hyon Ko of Sportskeeda, Christos Giagos expressed supreme confidence in his ability to engage in grappling exchanges with Alvarez. Giagos said:
"I feel like I'm gonna feel him out for the first round... try to land some shots... to see where he wants to take the fight. I'm definitely not going to be afraid to take him down."
Alvarez competed in the Spanish MMA circuit before signing with the UFC. Giagos believes that the reason Alvarez has looked dominant on the ground is that Spain does not have very high standards of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Drawing attention to his own training in BJJ, Christos Giagos predicted that he will knock Joel Alvarez out on the feet.
"Everyone thinks he has good Jiu-Jitsu. But I'm not really impressed too much. I feel like a lot of his competition was in Spain. I don't think Jiu-Jitsu is big out there. So he probably has some decent Jiu-Jitsu, got a couple of submission wins in the UFC. But I've definitely been training for it and I think I match up well and I can finish him on the feet," Christos Giagos said.
A veteran of 26 professional MMA fights, Christos Giagos has competed against championship-caliber fighters in the UFC. Although Joel Alvarez's record seems impressive on paper, Giagos will be the biggest test of his career so far. Giagos intends to draw Alvarez into a war to test his skills.
"I think it's a great matchup... I think he definitely has some skills. But honestly, I think I fought way tougher competition. I know that I am going to be his toughest competition for sure. So, it's gonna be a war. I'm pretty sure of it. I'm expecting a war," Giagos continued.
Christos Giagos believes he should be in the top fifteen of the division
During his long fighting career, Christos Giagos has suffered a few setbacks. But he has been into competitive fights with championship-caliber fighters like Josh Emmett, Charles Oliveira and Gilbert Burns. Irrespective of the outcome, those fights were confidence-building exercises for the 31-year-old, who believes he should be in the top fifteen of the lightweight division. Putting a winning streak together in the upcoming fights will likely secure Giagos a spot in the rankings.
"I think it's very important. Just for the confidence alone. I shared the ring with Josh Emmett, Charles Oliveira, Gilbert Burns and it wasn't so bad. I had great performances against two of those guys. Me and Josh Emmett, we have fight of the year at some other location. So, knowing that I can keep up with these guys is good. I think I deserve to be in top 15 and this guy is just in my way," Christos Giagos said.
Christos Giagos and Joel Alvarez are scheduled to fight on the Early Prelims of UFC 262 pay-per-view event. The event will be broadcast live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on May 25, 2021. Headlined by the vacant lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, it will be the second event to have a live audience after UFC 261.
