Former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez still has five months left on his current contract and it’s possible he plans to wait it out.
Alvarez served as a dominant champion in the Bellator promotion, but was unseated by new champion Michael Chandler. Since then, Alvarez sought revenge against Japanese MMA superstar Shinya Aoki, smashing him in Round 1.
Alvarez still has a solid 23-3 pro MMA record with an impressive 20 fight finishes on his resume.
Here is what Bellator CEO Bjon Rebney previously said regarding Alvarez’s status (via Full Contact Fighter):
Ed is with the organization (Bellator)… he has about five months left on a deal, and one fight left. He’s been a star and awesome member of the Bellator family. We’ll do one more fight with him, and we may be able to negotiate a long-term deal before his last remaining fight. It just depends because there are so many paths; we’ll see what happens. I have nothing but respect for him.
It’s interesting to hear Alvarez also has one fight left on his current contract because it’s possible he may take one last fight in the Bellator cage. A lone fight would give him the chance to honor his contract, collect a paycheck and sponsor money and avoid an extended layoff if he wants to jump to another promotion.
There is a high demand for Alvarez. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and UFC President Dana White are interested in signing him.
In Strikeforce, a potential super fight with champion Gilbert Melendez is possible, though the majority of top-level fights would be in the UFC.
The UFC would be able to give Alvarez a pay-per-view cut for his fights, along with a potential fight purse and sponsor money increase.
Alvarez was one of the top-ranked lightweights prior to his loss to Chandler, but if he’s not currently in the top 10, he’s really close. A jump to the UFC will give him the chance to compete with the best lightweights in the world and claw his way to a potential title shot.
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