RJ Harris vs. Alvin Hines
UFC Fight Night · July 18, 2026 · Paycom Center
OddsRJ Harris +100·Alvin Hines -120(DraftKings)
RJ Harris def. Alvin Hines — TKO (punches), R1 1:40
Harris won in round one as predicted, but with his hands rather than the expected grab-and-squeeze wrestling. The 6'6" debutant stayed patient, backed Hines up with a right hand, then dropped him with an uppercut when Hines re-engaged, finishing with punches at 1:40. Hines's leaky striking defense was flagged pre-fight as the decisive number; it took under two minutes to prove it.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
Ring rust plus a year away plus a defensive leak that big is a bad cocktail for Hines. Harris should walk him to the fence, drag it down, and find a front choke by round two — the exact script of his last two LFA wins. Hines's puncher's chance is genuine (Harris has been touchable early in exchanges), but grappling-first heavyweights against 38% defense usually collect.
The Matchup
Heavyweight prelim roulette with an unusual amount of backstory: a short-notice undefeated debutant against a man fighting seven days after a doping suspension ended, in a bout that already lost its original participant. The tactical read is short: Hines throws (5.47 landed per minute) but eats 7.47 in return with 38% defense — while Harris's entire game is closing distance and grabbing necks. Five inches of height and a wrestling base give Harris the clinch; Hines's only stats-backed edge is output if it stays standing.
Tale of the Tape
| RJ Harris | Alvin Hines | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-0 | Record | 7-1 |
| 27 | Age | 34 |
| 6'6" | Height | 6'1" |
| 78" | Reach | 73.5" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | United States |
| Sprawlin & Brawlin MMA (Ohio) | Team | La Bodega Fight Team (Minnesota) |
The Numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
RJ Harris
“The Hammer”
An undefeated 6'6" Ohio heavyweight riding back-to-back LFA stoppages, stepping in on short notice for the injured Allen Frye Jr. to make his UFC debut. The style is old-school big-man wrestling: get a hold of you, put you down, and squeeze — guillotines, americanas, top-position smothering — rather than bombs-away power.
- WPhil Latu · Submission (guillotine), R2 4:01LFA 231 · April 17, 2026
- WAlex Marro · KO/TKO, R1 2:17LFA 223 · November 21, 2025
- WAustin Green · Decision (unanimous)Caged Thunder 34 · September 13, 2025
Alvin Hines
“Goozie”
A former Minnesota heavy-equipment operator who went 7-0 on the regional circuit before losing a competitive short-notice UFC debut to Jhonata Diniz. Then it got messy: an anti-doping flag for drostanolone and testosterone metabolites brought a one-year suspension that ended one week ago. Swings enormous volume at low accuracy and absorbs even more — every Hines fight is a hardware store falling down the stairs.
- LJhonata Diniz · Decision (unanimous, 28-29 x3)UFC 317 · June 28, 2025
- WBilly Ray Valdez · KO/TKO, R3 2:09LFA 206 · April 11, 2025
- WJunior Hicks · Submission (arm triangle), R1 1:40Ignite Fights: Mecca 24 · February 15, 2025