Thiago Alves is gigantic. For a man with that height and muscle, one would think it impossible to make the 170-pound weight limit required to compete in the UFC welterweight division. But for the past ten years Thiago Alves has done just that. He has denied himself food and forced his massive frame to shrink down to a svelte 170 pounds come weigh-ins.

Alves, of course, has had his missteps with cutting weight in the past. He came in at a resounding 174 pounds for his welterweight battle with the legendary Matt Hughes in 2008. Then he missed weight prior to his second fight with Jon Fitch, coming in at 171.5 pounds, though he was coming off of a year long layoff due to a knee injury and abnormalities found in his brain during a pre-fight CAT scan. During the beginning of his UFC career, Alves also tested positive for a banned diuretic, a substance that helps fighters cut weight. 

The Brazilian claims all of that is a thing of the past now. He has hooked up with the famed Mike Dolce, a man who has helped countless fighters get their weight under control. Under the "Dolce Diet," Alves turned in one of the best performances of his career at UFC 124. He thoroughly dominated John Howard for three straight rounds, battering him with a barrage of kicks and punches while looking fresh throughout the fight. 

With his past weight struggles firmly in his past, Alves opened up about his past issues with making weight.

"It was just, I didn't know how to pull out the weight," Alves told The MMA Fight Corner presented by FiveKnuckles.com. "I didn't know how to lose weight. I did the most crazy things possible to lose weight. I went normal until fight week or starve myself throughout the training camp. Going through my training camp, I was just getting beat up because I had no energy to recover my body or even fight back to my training partners. That was my biggest issue.

"When I fought GSP (Georges St. Pierre) I passed out from Wednesday until Friday morning, then I fought on Saturday. When I fought [Jon] Fitch, same thing."

The American Top Team product is now noticeably lighter in between fights. The Dolce Diet, which he has followed for close to a year, has helped trim him down and give him more energy than ever. 

"Before I use to walk around between 200 to 210," Alves said. "The highest I got was 212, but now I'm walking around between 195 and 200."

That high walk-around weight has led to scorn from some fellow welterweights, including Bellator champion Ben Askren. In an interview with The MMA Fight Corner presented by FiveKnuckles.com, Askren claimed that guys who constantly miss weight are cowardly for not wanting to fight guys bigger than them. While Askren didn't specifically mention Alves, his past weight transgressions are well documented and have drawn negative sentiments from the MMA community. 

Askren has mentioned that he will eventually find himself in the UFC, as he wishes to one day become the best welterweight in the world. He contends that his wrestling abilities will be able to keep a fight between anyone competitive, but Alves disagrees.

"I think he'll get punished," Alves said. "I think he'll get demolished. I mean he's fighting some good guys and everything, but he never ever really fought a good fighter, ya know, a tough guy with a little bit...