TAMPA, Fla. – It looks like Joel Alvarez’s days as a lightweight are soon coming to an end.

Despite taking part in a 155-pound bout at UFC on ESPN 63 on Saturday, “El Fenomeno” doesn’t think he’ll make any further dents to his long-standing division in the future. Alvarez (21-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who faces Drakkar Klose (15-2-1 MMA, 9-2 UFC) on the preliminary card, has come to this realization ahead of his return Saturday.

“I talked about it with my team on the way here, the truth is that it is reality,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I think this is a reality now. I’m going to do the fight on Saturday and I think I’ll do one more at 155 at most, and after that I’ll move up to 170 to compete because of everything that means coming down.”

Alvarez has competed eight times under the UFC banner and missed weight twice. Although he has made weight in the last three fights and looked like he had made his cuts, the Spanish fighter wants to be more active, which he simply cannot do at 155 pounds.

“The cuts are very hard, they are tough,” Alvarez explained. “I’m 6’3″ and very tall, so the cut is very hard. In the end you have to get fights that last 10 weeks.

“For example, a fight with a six-week training camp, I couldn’t accept that because I wouldn’t have enough time to cut. I’m naturally about 85-88 kg, which is 185, 190 pounds, so that’s a big cut. I think it’s better for me to go to 170 and I would probably end up weighing more, but I would be stronger and it would definitely be more natural.”

In addition to the desire to fight more often, a health aspect also plays a role. Alvarez knows that these weight cuts may not be good for his health in the long term, and that also played a role in his decision-making.

“You push your body to the extreme,” Alvarez said. “In just 10 or nine weeks you’ve lost 15 kilos, and that’s a lot of weight, especially for a person who’s already in shape. I’m not losing weight because I have weight problems and I’m obese. I’m already in shape and still make the cut. So from a health perspective, this is not good. The last few weeks are hard, especially the last day when you have to dehydrate your body. You start to see everything differently and even wonder if it’s all worth it.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.