Bellator’s former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has reportedly been offered a UFC contract.
The news was broken by Sports Illustrated’s Loretta Hunt via Twitter. (H/T MMA Mania).
“Per Bellator’s Bjorn Rebney, they’ve received UFC contract offer for Eddie Alvarez and are now a few days into 2-wk matching period,” tweeted Hunt.
Alvarez is widely considered one of the best lightweights currently not fighting in the UFC, the other being Strikeforce’s Gilbert Melendez.
But while Melendez, after Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce, is likely to find himself within the UFC umbrella soon, Alvarez’s future has been less clear.
Alvarez is 24-3 in his MMA career and became Bellator’s first lightweight champion in 2009 before losing it last year to Michael Chandler. His contract expired following his win against Brazilian Patricky Freire, and the fighter has been locked in talks with his company over a new deal ever since.
UFC president Dana White hinted as early as October that the promotion was “definitely” interested in Alvarez, however, under Bellator’s exclusive contract with the fighter, the promotion has first refusal over any new deal. That means, Bellator has the opportunity to match any competing offer Alvarez receives.
Loretta Hunt added that Rebney the president of Bellator has said the promotion is able to match the UFC’s offer, and the decision whether the fighter will stay within the organisation will be made in the next week and a half.
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