Former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves is coming close to the end of his professional career. After having the last fight of his contract back in December 2019, the ‘Pitbull’ decide to test the waters outside of the Octagon before deciding what he will do from now on.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Thiago revealed that he’s negotiating with both Bellator and the Professional Fighters League, but there’s also a chance he doesn’t sign with any major MMA promotion in order to pursue a different dream.
“I’m negotiating with PFL and Bellator. I’m waiting to see which one makes the best offer and if it makes sense for me to fight again,” he said. “If I don’t get the offer I want, I’ll probably retire.
“At the same time, I’m in the middle of the process to become a police officer here. If I don’t get the offer I want, I might focus on this new part of my life. Who knows, maybe a year from now, I might fight again. If I retire today, though, it’s all right, I’m doing well. I don’t fight because I need to, it’s because I want to. I am doing well financially, I’m a coach at American Top Team, I’m opening my own gym with Wilson Gouveia. I have plans to join the police, which was my first real passion, even before MMA.”
In his last outing, Alves (23-15) was tapped out via guillotine choke by Tim Means. Before the loss, Pitbull dropped a unanimous decision to Laureano Staropoli in May 2019. The 36-year-old’s last win came in February of the same year, when he edged out Max Griffin via split decision at UFC Fortaleza.