Alex Rita is back in the win column, and he did it in style. On Saturday night at Fighter Combat League 3, inside the Pavilhão São Miguel in Guarda, he stopped Maiko Alves by TKO just past the two-minute mark of the first round, drawing one of the loudest ovations of the night. His professional record now reads 1-1.
Eight weeks ago it read 0-1. Rita had turned professional in May at WOW FC 30 and lost a decision on debut, at a new weight, against an unbeaten opponent. There was no such drama in Guarda. He barely needed two minutes to settle it.
Context is everything here. This is the man who took Portugal to its first ever IMMAF World Championships final, in Belgrade in 2022, and came home with silver. Behind that sits an amateur career of 13-10-1 and a top-five European ranking. The résumé always said world finalist. Now the professional counter is starting to catch up.
A first professional win is a milestone on its own. A first professional finish, in the opening round, against an opponent who arrived unbeaten, is a statement. Maiko Alves came in at 1-0 out of São Paulo. He leaves Guarda at 1-1.
Rita was not the only one from Academia Unlimited celebrating. The Barreiro gym had a perfect night in Guarda: Pedro Cristóvão, Tiago Janeiro, Axel Furtado and Douglas D'Angelis all won their bouts too. Under head coach Luis Barneto, the whole Academia Unlimited contingent walked away from Fighter 3 unbeaten.
The rebuild is under way, and on Saturday one round was all it took. Alex Rita's full profile is here.