Eddie Alvarez will enter into free agency after fighting out his contract with the UFC
If that’s it for Eddie Alvarez’s UFC career, he can be proud of what he’s achieved inside the Octagon. Although ‘the Underground King’ has only eight fights under the UFC banner, he has really made a splash since his high-profile move from Bellator in 2014.
After dropping a unanimous decision loss to Donald Cerrone in his promotional debut, the former Bellator king defeated three champions in a row. He beat former Strikeforce and WEC champion Gilbert Melendez by split decision, former UFC and WEC champion Anthony Pettis, also by split decision, and then knocked out Rafael dos Anjos to add the UFC strap to his already overflowing trophy cabinet.
Although he was completely outclassed by Conor McGregor in his first defence, ‘the Notorious’ helped him achieve his dream of earning a million dollars for a single fight. Alvarez will forever be known as the first man to turn Justin Gaethje’s granite chin to rubble. Not only was he the first man to beat the former WSOF champion, he was also the first to knock him out.
WOOOOOW! 😱
The Underground King is back at the expense of Justin Gaethje!
Eddie Alvarez is a Warrior 👊 #UFC218 pic.twitter.com/pD7YRlhkav
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) December 3, 2017
Free agency
Alvarez’ last trip to the Octagon was the last on his UFC contract. That knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in Calgary, the rematch of their controversial No Contest, may very well have been his last UFC bout. Dana White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast that he wouldn’t stand in the way if ‘the Underground King wanted to sign for another promotion. That is if he wants to leave.
“I like Eddie Alvarez. I like him personally and I like him professionally. He’s at an age now where he needs to make some decisions for his family in what will probably be the last contract he signs for the rest of his career. I’m in a place If Eddie wants to go somewhere else then I’m cool with that, but if Eddie wants to stay I’d keep him here too. I told him that. I told him ‘Listen, if you want to finish your career here with me, I would like that. If you want to finish your career somewhere else, I have no problem with that either, man.’”
“When guys get to the point that it’s the last contract that they’ll ever sign, I understand. At the end of the day, what we’re looking for here are young guys that want to be world champions. Young guys that believe they can be a world champion in the UFC, or girls. If you feel that you can’t be and you feel that there’s better decisions you can make at this point in your career for the last contract that you will ever sign, I absolutely understand that.”
If that’s that, what a run it has been. He’s certainly still very valuable to the UFC and White still wants him. However, if he leaves and completes the trilogy against Michael Chandler, that would be far from the worst thing in the world.
The ball is in his court.
