“I wasn’t ready for the title at that time. I’m glad I didn’t get it. Maybe I wouldn’t even be alive if I had become champion at that time because I was in such a wrong way… I’ve been pushing my limit constantly since the surgeries to see how my body holds up and it’s been great. The welterweight division has always been competitive. There are so many guys at this weight. It doesn’t mean the division is better now, though. The biggest threat has always been [St-Pierre] because he’s such a smart fighter. I don’t see other guys doing that. The guys you see in this division right now, once they get hit a few times they are going to go after you. The division is wide open. I see a big opening.”

In an interview with ESPN, Thiago Alves, the UFC’s former number one welterweight contender, talked about his highly anticipated return to action last Saturday Night in Orlando.

Alves had been out of action for two-years with injuries and returned with a decisive victory during the UFC on FOX prelims on FOX Sports 1.