UFC Rio card updated with late replacement set to challenge veteran finisher

Report: Joel Alvarez is set to make his UFC welterweight debut.

Vicente Luque is one of the most prolific finishers in UFC history. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

A major lightweight prospect is reportedly set to make his welterweight debut at UFC Rio, replacing one side of a highly anticipated veteran vs. veteran matchup.

The Rio de Janeiro Fight Night, headlined by Charles Oliveira, has been hit with two big cancellations. First and foremost, Rafael Fiziev is out of his main event clash with Oliveira. While a replacement is being found, another cancellation has hit the card.

Brazil's Santiago Ponzinibbio is set to be replaced by Joel Alvarez, who steps in on short notice to face the fearsome Vicente Luque on the night's main card.

Joel Alvarez is 22-3 with no decision wins. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Report: Joel Alvarez to make UFC welterweight debut against Vicente Luque at UFC Rio

ABC MMA's Álvaro Colmenero first reported the news on September 22. The fight will be contested at welterweight, where it will be Alvarez's debut. The Spanish fighter has missed weight twice in the UFC and has had a notoriously tough time fitting his 6'3" frame in the 155 division.

🚨EXCLUSIVA ABC: Joel Álvarez 🇪🇸 vs. Vicente Luque 🇧🇷 en negociaciones para el UFC Río el 11 de octubre.

Santiago Ponzinibbio sale de la pelea por lesión y acepta pelear El Fenómeno en corto aviso.

Será el debut en el peso wélter para Joel. pic.twitter.com/UC6PnAHPps

— Álvaro Colmenero (@KOlmeneroMMA) September 22, 2025

It's arguably a tougher outing for Brazil's Luque, a perennial welterweight finisher who's struggled to find his mark in recent years. 'The Silent Assassin' sat out with a brain bleed not too long ago, and many fans believe he should have hung up the gloves.

Stepping in against him is 22-3 Alvarez, a striker-submission specialist with a one-hundred percent finishing rate; his only UFC losses have come to Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov.

Luque was once known for having the best chin in the division and was close to challenging for the title before his shock losses to Geoff Neal and Belal Muhammad in 2022. Either way, the statistics indicate that this fight is almost guaranteed a finish, so the fans win in the end.

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