Alvin Hines

Hines was caught stepping in. RJ Harris backed him up with a right hand, and when Hines moved forward to re-engage he walked onto an uppercut that put him down. Harris followed him to the floor and the referee stopped it at 1:40 of the first round.

Key moments

• Was backed up by a Harris right hand early.
• Walked onto an uppercut while stepping forward to re-engage.
• Was dropped and stopped under follow-up strikes at 1:40 of round one.

Hines lost a unanimous decision to Jhonata Diniz in his UFC debut and spent the night trying to solve a cleaner, longer heavyweight over fifteen minutes. That first loss matters because it showed where the rawness still lives in his game once he cannot turn the fight into an early clinch or finishing sequence.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision over three rounds in his UFC debut.
• Absorbed the first professional loss of his career.
• The defeat came after a seven-fight unbeaten start on the regional circuit.

The Billy Ray Valdez fight is a strong marker because Hines had to carry his offense into the third round before getting the stoppage. Instead of fading, he kept forcing exchanges and eventually broke Valdez late, which helped validate him as more than a first-round heavyweight puncher.

Key moments

• Stopped Valdez at 2:09 of the third round.
• Logged one of his most durable regional wins before the UFC signing.
• Proved he could keep producing offense after the opening rounds.

Hines submitted Junior Hicks in the first round and reminded everyone that his record is not built only on striking finishes. Once he secured position, he moved directly to the arm-triangle and closed the fight without giving Hicks time to scramble back out.

Key moments

• Submitted Hicks with an arm-triangle at 1:40 of round one.
• Added another early finish to the run that led into LFA and UFC opportunities.
• Showed the grappling route that complements the knockout side of his record.

Hines handled Mark Currier quickly in his LFA 200 appearance and kept the momentum from the 2024 run moving straight into 2025. The fight fit the standard Hines pattern: aggressive early pressure, short windows for the opponent to recover and a finish before the bout could settle.

Key moments

• Stopped Currier by first-round KO/TKO at 1:48.
• Opened 2025 with another emphatic LFA finish.
• Extended his unbeaten record before the Hicks and Valdez wins.

Escamilla pushed Hines into the second round, which makes the fight a useful middle step in the record rather than just another result line. Hines still found the stoppage, but only after staying on the front foot long enough to turn pressure into a later finish instead of a quick blowout.

Key moments

• Finished Escamilla at 2:40 of round two.
• Recorded his second straight LFA win in 2024.
• Showed he could stay effective beyond the first-round window.

Hines handed Justin Smith the first loss of Smith's career by going the full three rounds for a unanimous decision at LFA 181. The scorecards of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 gave Hines his first professional win that required all fifteen minutes, which matters on a record otherwise built around finishes. It also served as a useful proof point that he could win rounds cleanly at LFA level before the quicker stoppages that followed later in 2024 and 2025.

Key moments

• Hines beat Smith by unanimous decision over three rounds at LFA 181.
• The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 for Hines.
• It was Hines' first professional victory that reached the scorecards.

Hines picked up his first LFA win by submitting Will Johnson early in the second round at LFA 174. Result coverage listed the finish as a keylock, with other reports calling it an Americana, but the important point is that Hines turned the fight from a heavyweight striking matchup into a clean positional submission. The stoppage kept his unbeaten run moving and showed the grappling side of his game well before the UFC call came.

Key moments

• Hines submitted Johnson at 1:02 of round two at LFA 174.
• The finish was reported as a keylock, also commonly described as an Americana.
• The win gave Hines his first recorded LFA victory.

Hines moved to 1-0 by finishing Phil Latu with a rear-naked choke in the second round at Captain's Fight Club 2 in Fargo. The event's posted fight video description confirms the basic shape of the result: Hines won by rear-naked choke after carrying the fight into round two rather than ending it immediately. That made his debut a useful early sign that he could win with top control and submission pressure as well as with heavyweight attrition.

Key moments

• Hines submitted Latu with a rear-naked choke at 1:01 of round two.
• The fight took place at Captain's Fight Club 2: Cold War in Fargo, North Dakota.
• It was the first professional win on Hines' eventual 7-1 start.