{"id":37357,"date":"2026-03-23T15:45:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Joel-Alvarez-names-hardest-puncher-hes-ever-faced-200561"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:45:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:45:31","slug":"joel-alvarez-names-hardest-puncher-hes-ever-faced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/joel-alvarez-names-hardest-puncher-hes-ever-faced\/","title":{"rendered":"Joel Alvarez names hardest puncher he\u2019s ever faced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

Joel
\nAlvarez<\/a> felt the difference in power after moving up to
\nwelterweight. <\/p>\n

Alvarez (23-3) moved up from lightweight to welterweight, replacing
\nSantiago Ponzinnibbio on short notice against Vicente
\nLuque<\/a> (23-12) at
\nUFC Rio<\/a> in October 2025. Alvarez reveals that Luque is the
\nhardest puncher he has ever faced, surprising him twice with his
\npower.<\/p>\n

Size Matters<\/h2>\n

\u201cSpeaking of the power of hitting \u2013 Vicente
\nLuque<\/a>,\u201d Alvarez said on ZZEN Talks<\/a>. \u201cHe surprised me twice when he hit
\nme. I said, \u2018Holy s\u2014t, this is the punching power of
\nwelterweights.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Alvarez\u2019s bout against Luque didn\u2019t go down without some
\ncontroversy. Alvarez caught Luque in the eye socket with what
\nappeared to be a punch in the first round. Referee Osiris Maia
\ncalled a stop to the contest, declaring a technical knockout win
\nfor Alvarez as Luque dropped to his knees in agony. However, the
\ndoctors were later brought in to check on Luque, and the fight was
\nbizarrely resumed again. Alvarez eventually earned a unanimous
\ndecision win against Luque, going to the judges\u2019 scorecards for the
\nfirst time in his career. <\/p>\n