Eddie Alvarez isn’t wasting any time getting back into competition after his disqualification loss to Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1 just weeks ago.
Alvarez will reportedly make a quick turnaround at ONE on TNT 4 later this month, after suffering little damage in his fight against Lapicus. Alvarez was disqualified from his bout at ONE on TNT 1 for throwing heavy shots to the back of Lapicus’ head, which is currently under review by ONE Championship.
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed earlier today that Alvarez will make a quick turnaround after the controversial loss in his last fight.
“He is coming back to Singapore in short order, he will be fighting on ONE on TNT 4 and his opponent will be determined,” Sityodtong said during an interview with the South China Morning Post.
Sityodtong also said that Alvarez has a shot of breaking into the top five of the ONE Championship lightweight rankings with a win. Alvarez will fight the winner of Marat Gafurov and Ok Rae-Yoon, who square off at ONE on TNT 3 on April 21.
The former UFC lightweight champion is looking to make a statement in ONE Championship after losing two of his last three fights. Alvarez lost to Timofey Nastyukhin in his ONE debut by TKO and defeated Edward Folayang by submission before the disqualification against Lapicus.
Sityodtong also spoke out on the ongoing review of Alvarez’s disqualification loss by ONE Championship.
“Factually there were illegal blows, factually the referee did give two warnings. But factually I can also say the DQ is under review,” Sityodtong said. “Eddie and his team asked for a review and hopefully we’ll have the results over the next several days.”
While the quick turnaround for the 37-year-old Alvarez may be surprising to some, it’s clear he wants to exact revenge after his controversial finish against Lapicus.
What do you think about Eddie Alvarez’s quick return to ONE Championship? What are your thoughts on his recent controversial fight against Iuri Lapicus?