Ever since a failed bid for injunctive relief in U.S. District Court back in January, essentially nothing has been said about former Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez‘s contract dispute with the company.
However, in an interview with Rebellion Media after Bellator 95, company CEO Bjorn Rebney shed a little light on the latest with Alvarez. Rebney seemed to hint that a resolution was near:
This situation kind of came apart, we had a bad relationship for a short period. It was great to see Ed, I did get a chance to spend some time with him and talk. And when you’re talking, especially when it’s just Ed and I talking and sitting down going through stuff, your chances of getting something resolved pretty dramatically increase.
Rebney also indicated that both sides were going to have to give before Alvarez would make his way back inside the cage under the Bellator banner:
It was great to see Ed. We were communicating and talking and he came out tonight and he sat and watched the show and he and I got a chance to spend some time together. I hope it results in getting this behind us. I’ve gotta give and he’s gotta give a little bit and hopefully we can find that middle road and make this thing stop.
Alvarez took the contract dispute to court after the UFC offered him a contract that guaranteed him a cut of the pay-per-view buys as well as a title shot against UFC 155-pound champ Benson Henderson in March.
However, once Bellator matched the offer and it was clear Alvarez wasn’t going anywhere for a while, the UFC instead booked “Bendo” against former Strikeforce title holder Gilbert Melendez to headline UFC on FOX 7.
“The Silent Assassin” currently boasts a 9-1 record under the Bellator banner, with the lone setback being a title loss to current champ Michael Chandler.
The Nov. 2011 bout that showcased non-stop back-and-forth action earned “Fight of the Year” honors from Yahoo! Sports.
Will Alvarez ever grace the Octagon with his presence, or is he destined to fight for Bellator for the rest of his career?
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