5 Reasons To Be Excited About UFC Signing Eddie Alvarez

The trials and tribulations of Eddie Alvarez during his last few years in Bellator have been well documented. A consensus top ten lightweight during that time, he was made a star in Bellator MMA under the Bjorn Rebney regime, where he would become, then lose, the Bellator lightweight championship in the world's number two MMA promotion. After losing the belt to another homegrown Bellator star, Michael Chandler, in a fight of the year candidate, Alvarez gained a couple of wins in non-title matches, then went to explore the free agent market. Dana White, seemingly a fan of what Alvarez brought to the table, offered the fighter a fantastic contract that included six figures, Pay-per-View points, and an immediate title shot, and it appeared as if Alvarez was UFC bound - until Bellator opted to exercise its matching rights. Matching rights allow an organization to match the offer of any competitor and keep a fighter under contract. Given the UFC's offer include Pay-Per-View money, and Bellator at that point had not put on a single PPV, to most it looked like Alvarez would simply walk - but Bellator took matters to court, arguing that it was their intent to host future Pay-per-View events, in which Alvarez would be heavily featured. It became an ugly battle, with the fighter's team arguing that even if Bellator intended to host PPV events, they couldn't possibly earn what the UFC, with an established PPV buying fanbase, could. There were allegations of contracts with altered wording, and in the end, Alvarez wound up sitting out too long while in his fighting prime. He finally came to terms with Bellator on a short contract that saw him rematch Michael Chandler, and secured his services for a third fight as well - at least, if he were to beat Chandler. Which, of course, he did - in another fight of the year candidate, leading to a possible Alvarez vs. Chandler 3 on PPV that fell apart at the last minute when Alvarez was injured in training. Chandler then lost an interim title to Will Brooks, and suddenly, the most marketable fight in Bellator history was slipping away. Consider it gone now. With Rebney shown the door and Scott Coker at the helm, Bellator has "done the right thing" - maybe not in the short term, but in the long. They've released Alvarez from his contract, allowing him to sign with the UFC (who already have a fight booked for the lightweight star), and in doing so boost their tarnished public image. It sends a simple message: under Scott Coker, Bellator will be fighter-friendly. As for Alvarez - well there are lots of reasons to be excited for his arrival in the UFC. Here's five!