Eddie Alvarez’ Coach Admits Blame For Controversial 12-6 Elbow

Well, this is just weird.

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Top-ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier scored perhaps the biggest win of his UFC career when he ended his rivalry with former champ Eddie Alvarez in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., July 28, 2018) UFC on FOX 30 from the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

However, like their oft-discussed first meeting that ended in a no contest, it wasn’t without some controversy, as Alvarez landed an illegal 12-6 elbow while he had Poirier mounted against the fence. Referee Marc Goddard, after witnessing two prior fouls from Alvarez, decided it was time to take away “The Underground King’s” position rather than issue a warning, a decision many argued changed the tide of the fight for good.

Poirier opened up with a gorgeous fight-ending sequence when they were stood up, and while he wouldn’t call Alvarez a dirty fighter, he did believe there was a line that had to be drawn at some point in regards to respecting the rules.

Today, however, we’ve received some new insight into the strange situation in terms of what happened. Alvarez’ longtime coach Mark Henry revealed on today’s episode of “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” that it was indeed his fault Alvarez threw the illegal strike, as he signaled that he wanted elbows from his fighter the wrong way:

“I wanted to tell him (Alvarez) that I wanted elbows and I gave him the wrong signal. The referee always tells fighters and coaches about no 12-6 elbows. It was my fault, I’m not an idiot. I gave the wrong signal.”

It was a strange occurrence from one of MMA’s most respected coaches, and he continued to go off the beaten path when he admitted that he ‘wasn’t surprised’ Poirier knocked out his former champion. In his opinion, Poirier is so accurate and well-coached that he wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually wins the title:

“Dustin is one of the most precise strikers in the UFC. He’s a beast. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on to win a title.”

Interesting. Many were quick to jump on Henry’s back online and say he sounded more like Poirier’s coach than Alvarez’. Indeed it’s a strange scenario where a coach admits he gave a top fighter the wrong signal for a strike and it resulted in an illegal one, especially one that changed the course of a high-profile fight as clearly as this one.

Is it time for Alvarez to seek a new camp, or was it just a bad night for the otherwise decorated trainer?

The post Eddie Alvarez’ Coach Admits Blame For Controversial 12-6 Elbow appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Coach: Eddie Alvarez Lines up With Khabib Better Than Anyone

Eddie Alvarez’s coach believes his fighter has the tools and smarts to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov. Alvarez is set to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch. The two will clash against on July 28 inside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, …

Eddie Alvarez’s coach believes his fighter has the tools and smarts to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov. Alvarez is set to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch. The two will clash against on July 28 inside the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Alvarez vs. Poirier II is set to headline UFC Calgary. Alvarez and Poirier fought back in […]

The post Coach: Eddie Alvarez Lines up With Khabib Better Than Anyone appeared first on MMA News.

Edgar’s Coach: I Would Love to See Frankie at Bantamweight

Frankie Edgar’s coach likes the idea of a move to bantamweight. Edgar recently suffered the first knockout loss of his professional mixed martial arts career. “The Answer” was set to challenge Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) feat…

Frankie Edgar’s coach likes the idea of a move to bantamweight. Edgar recently suffered the first knockout loss of his professional mixed martial arts career. “The Answer” was set to challenge Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title holder Max Holloway at UFC 222. That didn’t happen as Holloway went down with an injury. Instead, Brian […]

The post Edgar’s Coach: I Would Love to See Frankie at Bantamweight appeared first on MMA News.

Frankie Edgar’s Coach Releases Statement On KO Loss To Brian Ortega

Frankie Edgar was finished for the first time at UFC 222 on Saturday night after an elbow and a vicious uppercut by Brian Ortega ended the co-main event in the first round. The finish came just over three minutes into the frame and sent shockwaves throughout the collective mixed martial arts universe. After taking a […]

The post Frankie Edgar’s Coach Releases Statement On KO Loss To Brian Ortega appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Frankie Edgar was finished for the first time at UFC 222 on Saturday night after an elbow and a vicious uppercut by Brian Ortega ended the co-main event in the first round.

The finish came just over three minutes into the frame and sent shockwaves throughout the collective mixed martial arts universe.

After taking a huge risk in facing Ortega and suffering a vicious loss, the former UFC lightweight champion’s coach took to social media to issue a statement and lift Edgar up after what amounts to be the lowest point of his storied career:

“You’re beyond blessed in your life if you’ve had the privilege to meet one great person in your life. I’m talking about someone who impacts just thousands around him and changes and impacts your life for the better. It’s been an absolute miracle in my almost 50 years to have had two of these amazing men in my life. My father in law Pino and my little brother Frankie Edgar.”

You're beyond Blessed in your life if you've had the privilege to meet 1 great person in your life. I'm talking about someone who impacts just thousands around him and changes and impacts your life for the better. It been a absolute miracle in my almost 50 years to have had 2 of these amazing men in my life. My father in law Pino and my little brother @frankieedgar. Even though I'm a lot older than Frankie, he has taught me way more lessons in life than I could have ever taught him. Besides being an incredible son, brother, father, husband, friend, general, mentor, champion, teammate and example to millions, I can't thank him enough for being the most incredible example to my son for the past 13 years. So hard in these times to find a great role model for your kids these days and I've been Blessed beyond belief to have had this man be an example to what is dearest to me. Forget this fight stuff there's way bigger things in life and it's a GUARANTEE FE will be back stronger than ever!! Congratulations to Brian Ortega and his amazing team. Brian's awesome example to kids. Thanks so much to everyone for always giving love and respect to our Champ. ??

A post shared by Mark Henry (@mark_henry7) on

Henry has been an integral part of Edgar’s team for the majority of his UFC career, winning the lightweight title from BJ Penn back in 2010.

Edgar was initially supposed to fight featherweight champion Max Holloway, but opted to take the Ortega fight when the champion became unavailable.

The post Frankie Edgar’s Coach Releases Statement On KO Loss To Brian Ortega appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mark Henry Says Eddie Alvarez Will Thrive as TUF Coach

Renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Mark Henry believes Eddie Alvarez is suited for his role as a coach on season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” MMA Latest News recently caught up with Henry, who talked about Alvarez as a coach and whether or not a rematch with Dustin Poirier was on the table: “To be […]

Renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Mark Henry believes Eddie Alvarez is suited for his role as a coach on season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” MMA Latest News recently caught up with Henry, who talked about Alvarez as a coach and whether or not a rematch with Dustin Poirier was on the table: “To be […]

Quote: Conor McGregor Is One Of The Best Boxers I’ve Ever Seen

Conor McGregor could possibly be stepping into the the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this year and the combat sports world has mixed reviews on the subject. One man who thinks McGregor not only should take on Mayweather inside the ring, but also pursue a career in the sport, is mixed martial arts […]

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Conor McGregor could possibly be stepping into the the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this year and the combat sports world has mixed reviews on the subject.

One man who thinks McGregor not only should take on Mayweather inside the ring, but also pursue a career in the sport, is mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Mark Henry. Henry knows first-hand what McGregor is capable of, as he dispatched his star pupil Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden to win the UFC lightweight title.

Henry recently spoke to MMA Junkie regarding McGregor’s pursuit of Mayweather inside the squared circle, and stated that he believes the Irishman could make way more money in one boxing fight than he would in ’10 or 11 with the UFC’ (quotes via MMA Mania):

“Look, if I was Conor, I would definitely pursue the boxing, because he can make more in one fight than in 10 or 11 with the UFC,” Henry said. “But, while he’s doing it, they should definitely make another 155-pound belt, because it would be ridiculous if they didn’t.”

In addition to that, Henry also claimed that McGregor is one of the best boxers he has ever laid his eyes on, and believes “The Notorious One” has a shot against Mayweather in the first two rounds of the fight. After that, however, it’s going to be a rough night for the UFC lightweight champ:

“Conor is one of the best boxers I’ve ever seen – ever. From his precision to his power to his speed, and I think he has a shot in the first two rounds,” Henry added. “Because Mayweather, like a lot of boxers do when they’re sparring MMA guys, he may not think he’s that good.

“He might not realize how fast Conor is, and you’ve got to remember that Conor is going to be taller, longer, 13 years younger, and a southpaw. Early on, I’d give him a chance of doing some damage. But after that, it’s not going to be too good (for McGregor).”

No agreement for a bout is in place quite yet, as of this writing. Recently, however, it was announced by UFC President Dana White that McGregor’s side of the negotiations have been completed and all that remains is to sit down and negotiate with Mayweather and manager Al Haymon.

Mayweather is know for being difficult to come to an agreement with at the negotiation table, but he did recently state that he believes the fight between him and the MMA star would happen eventually.

Instagram

McGregor has already begun training for the potential contest and took to Twitter to call “Money” out and and tell him to ‘sign his end.’ Although some significant progress has been made to making the superfight happen, this is still only the beginning of the potential fight’s journey.

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…..

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