Marc Diakiese’s style has evolved plenty over the years, and his upcoming opponent Joel Alvarez is well aware of that.

The two lightweights are scheduled to fight this Saturday on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 224 at The O2 in London. Alvarez (19-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is hoping for a striking battle, as he wants to put a show for the fans in his first fight in over a year, but knows that likely won’t be the reality of the situation with this version of Diakiese (16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in 2023.

“I hope to get Marc the striker, so we can do a striking fight the both of us,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “But yeah, it is true that he’s been doing well, and he’s been winning fights using his wrestling. It’s a drastic change that he’s made. I assume at some point in the fight he’ll use his wrestling. We’ve trained for that and prepared for that a lot.”

Alvarez is unsure why Diakiese shifted to a wrestling-based attack, as he found his striking to be good. Regardless, he respects the threat that Diakiese poses to win a fight, even if it’s lost some of its flashiness.

“Yeah, there’s been a very drastic change, but it’s helped him win fights,” Alvarez said. “There’s no denying he’s a less spectacular Marc, I’d say, but if he’s winning fights with that, then that’s his thing.”

Alvarez hasn’t fought since losing to top contender Arman Tsarukyan back in February 2022. Entering the fight with Tsarukyan, Alvarez was in the UFC’s official top 15 rankings at lightweight.

The 30-year-old doesn’t think a win over Diakiese will put him back in the top 15, given his absence from the octagon, but could set him up so that his next fight is for a spot in the rankings.

“I don’t think so,” Alvarez said. “At the end of the day, I’ve been inactive for a year and a half. I would need to get on a winning streak again. But there are sites out there, not the official one from UFC, but these sites have me between 15 and 20. That’s where everyone seems to put me. And I think that helps, the fans always see me in that area.

“I think a good win over Marc, if it doesn’t put me in the rankings, it sets me at 16. I’m right there. But I’m only worried about winning the fight. That’s what I came here to do.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.