Nicknamed “Pitbull” should give you some indication as to his fighting style. With 7 straight dominating victories in the UFC over stars including Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Karo Parisyan and Chris Lytle, Thiago Alves’ tear through the welterweight division has most certainly earned his right for a title fight.

Tony: Congrats Thiago on your most recent win over Josh Koscheck.
Thiago: Thank you.

Tony: Did the fight surprise you it went all three rounds?
Thiago: You know, I knew Josh was a tough guy, so I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. Watching all his past fights, he is really tough. But I am pretty happy with the results with this fight and I think Josh is a tough, tough guy and he really proved a lot that night.

Tony: You haven’t lost a fight with the UFC since 2006, is it time for the title fight?
Thiago: I want to fight for the title now. I really don’t see anyone else in front of me right now. So I do think I deserve a title shot.

Tony: Your thoughts on GSP vs. Penn 2?
Thiago: Well you know, it’s gonna be a really tough fight. If we’re gonna think about the last fight, if B.J. was in better shape that first fight he would have taken that fight. But right now GSP has gotten a lot better and so has B.J. I honesty really don’t know.

Tony: Thiago vs. Fitch 2, do you think if you were to meet Jon again the turn out would be a lot different?
Thiago: Oh yes, definitely. In that fight I had some weight issues and Jon Fitch did a great job in that fight. He came out with the perfect strategy and I was the one who wasn’t there in the fight, so Jon did his job and kicked my ass. But I’m pretty sure today it would be a whole different story.

Tony: Anyone else in your weight division who you would like to fight?
Thiago: Pretty much any of the best fighters out there.

Tony: And now, just recently coming off your win over Josh, are you back to work in the gym?
Thiago: Well I actually dislocated my thumb. So I’m not really doing any training, training, I’ve been off for a couple of weeks since the Josh fight. But, just recently I’ve been running and lifting weights.

Tony: Aside from Josh stepping up for the fight, do you still want the Diego fight?
Thiago: Of course. I just want to fight the best guys in the world and be number one. Right now, like I said I’m waiting for that title shot but definitely down the road yes. Diego is a really great fighter.

Tony: Coming up in this sport who were/are some of the fighters who you think really made a big impact for the sport in your eyes?
Thiago: Pretty much the old school guys: Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes. All the big names in the sport, I’m a really big fan of all of them.

Tony: What can we expect in 2009 with Thiago?
Thiago: The next champion for sure.

Tony: Any last words Thiago before you head out?
Thiago: Oh Yeah! Just thank you to everyone for all your support and thank you Tapout, AudioXL, all my teammates and of course American Top Team.

Tony: Thank you again and good luck next year.
Thiago: Not a problem. Thank you.