Now a free agent, Alessio faces 'The Secret Weapon'

John Alessio may have ended his last fight in controversy, but he looks to get back to his winning ways Friday night. Alessio, who's fought in a variety of shows throughout his career, will be fighting "The Secret Weapon" Pete Spratt in Banner Promotion's "Free for All" event in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.

While fighting for World Extreme Cagefighting for his last six bouts, there was some confusion by some fans about the status of Alessio's contract with the promotion. Alessio explained the situation on MMAWeekly Radio recently. "My last fight against Brock Larson was the last fight on my contract, and basically we didn't come to an agreement on re-signing."

With Alessio's fighting future unsure right now following his upcoming fight with Spratt, he didn't rule out a return to the WEC, especially considering how his last fight ended. He unintentionally kneed Larson to the head when he was on the ground. Larson could not continue and Alessio was disqualified.

"I feel like there's some unfinished business there, especially with Brock Larson," explained Alessio. "I won three fights in a row and the unfortunate thing with Larson happened. I was earning my way back to a title shot and I feel like that's some unfinished business. Other than that, I'm just looking to fight the best guys possible. I don't really care what show it is."

The fight turned personal for Alessio after Larson made some accusations against him following the bout. In that regard, Alessio would love to have another fight with Larson. "He wanted to go out and call me a cheater. It was unintentional. So, yeah, there is definitely some animosity between us. Honestly, I would fight him in my backyard if I could," he said.

"Coming in saying I'm a cheater, that was my 40th pro fight and I've never been deducted one point in my entire career for any illegal moves. For him to say that is outrageous. And that's pretty much fighting words right there."

Not that Alessio is looking past Spratt, but he has a couple of potential offers following this fight. "I have a few things in the works after this fight, but nothing set in stone. I have to get past Pete Spratt first. I do have something pretty big in the works, but I can't release any information yet."

Alessio trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas along with some of the best fighters in the world. Because of this, he feels like he's always learning something new. "We have the best gym in the world. We have tons of guys who are always popping in and training. It never gets stale here. Always learning new things. It's fantastic."

Spratt is not to be looked past though. He is a good kickboxer who holds some wins over quality opponents. Alessio realizes the problems that Spratt poses, but he isn't too worried about it. "He is a good striker. His weakness is the ground game, but I'm sure he's working on it. I plan to go out there and test myself on the feet. I've been working with Shawn Tompkins. I'm not going to shy away from a stand-up fight."

"The Natural" believes that his stand-up game is equitable to Spratt's and that he's in condition to take it to him. "That's what he likes to do. But I really don't think his stand-up is that much better than mine. He might have better kicks. I really think my punching ability is better than his is. I'm going to use a lot of movement and have him fight at my pace. I'm in great shape. I'm training three times a day. I'm ready to go 15 minutes if need be, but I want to get this over in the first round."

After his fight with Spratt, Alessio wants to continue to stay busy and get as many fights as possible. "I'm looking to get a fight in July or August. I want to test myself and make myself well-known."

However, first things first, Alessio has to worry about getting past Spratt. "Pete Spratt is going to sleep one way or another. You don't even need to have judges ringside for that fight -- guaranteed!"