Thiago Alves will have a chance to avenge one of his few career losses when he faces fellow welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 111. The highly skilled Brazilian was knocked out by Fitch back in 2006 at Ultimate Fight Night 5, and is looking to return the favor when the two square off in March.

Alves was in the midst of a seven-fight winning streak when he stepped into the Octagon with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre last July at UFC 100, but he quickly found himself outmatched and was manhandled for five rounds en route to a unanimous decision loss. It was his first since the loss to Fitch.

"GSP taught me a great lesson, and I'm really thankful for that," Alves told MMAJunkie. "I want to show the world what I've learned."

Alves recognized that he had become too comfortable with winning, and hadn't been challenging himself in the right ways. He also dealt with some disorder at his camp, American Top Team, and took time to reorder his life.

"I got rid of the bad energy, all the bad stuff that was going on in my life," Alves stated. "It was holding me back. Once you get fame, it comes with a lot of responsibility and a lot of bad stuff, too. You have to get through those things, though, so you can train through all the bad stuff. Because (you have to) keep the good time in your life. Besides being a fighter, you've got a regular life going on and (we're) normal people with drama and [expletive], so I just cut all the drama in my life. No more drama. I'm committed 100 percent to my career now."

Although Alves respects what Fitch has accomplished since the last time they fought, he feels he's had a more challenging journey through the UFC.

"I think I fought tougher guys than he fought," Alves said, though admiting Fitch is "more comfortable being there in high-level competition." 

Alves career record stands at 17-6, with a run of 9-3 in the UFC, while Fitch is 21-3 with one no contest, and has gone 11-1 in the UFC. Still, when Alves faces Fitch again he's going to have one simple goal in mind.

"I think it's going to be a great fight," said Alves. "All I've got on my mind is to knock Jon Fitch the [expletive] out."

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 111 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!