The Unshakable Resolve of Elves Brener

Not even a high-profile setback can dampen Elves Brener’s spirit.

The 26-year-old Brazilian will attempt to bounce back from his first defeat in more than three years and fortify his position in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division when he meets Joel Alvarez in a featured UFC on ABC 7 attraction this Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Brener continues to follow a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race approach ahead of his latest assignment.

“My plans haven’t changed much,” he told Sherdog.com. “My goal remains to get a chance at the Top 15 by year’s end. With a good win now, I can climb up further. I see a lot of guys in the Top 15 I could be fighting, though I’m not in a hurry.”

Brener finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision loss to surging Kyrgyzstani prospect Myktybek Orolbai at UFC 304 in May. The defeat closed the book on his five-fight winning streak and sent him back to the drawing board. Valuable lessons were learned in the process.

“I wasn’t at 100% on fight night,” Brener said. “I did everything correctly, but I was too weak after the weight cut. It’s something I’ve corrected since. Now, I keep my weight lower between fights. That’s why I was able to come back so soon to try and get back to winning. We’re looking forward to a new winning streak.”

Alvarez provides his next test. The 6-foot-2 Spaniard carries a 20-3 record into the Octagon and sports finishes in all 20 of his professional victories, 17 of them via submission. Alvarez, 31, has not competed since he put away Marc Diakiese with a brabo choke in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 224 pairing on July 22, 2023.

“I’ve been following him for some time,” Brener said. “I saw him fight back when he was in Portugal. He’s tough. He’s a good and complete fighter. He strikes well and he’s long for our weight class, but in the end, jiu-jitsu is from Brazil; it’s not from Spain. I want to show my Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the UFC. Last time around, I couldn’t do it. I felt worn out due to my weight cut, but I’m doing well now. I have strategies to either submit or knock out this guy.”

Brener trains out of the Chute Boxe affiliate fronted by Diego Lima in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There, he has fine-tuned his skills alongside Joao Mendes Barros, Marlon Brito Santos, Diogo Sotero and a host of others, including former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

“This fight was booked about five or six weeks out,” Brener said. “I was already on a good training rhythm, [with] jiu-jitsu, wrestling, muay thai and boxing. I accepted [the fight] since I was feeling well and my weight was already low. I’ve been getting a lot of great help. We’re doing great work with our hands, submissions and wrestling so we can define where the fight goes. I’m feeling very complete. I’m excited to show my work.”

Already a two-time post-fight performance bonus winner in the UFC, Brener expects to engage in another barnburner with Alvarez once the cage door closes behind them.

“I’m strong and motivated,” he said. “I’ll leave everything inside the cage.”