Eddie Alvarez is a free agent following his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC on FOX 30 last month. And at this point, it doesn’t look like a lock that he’ll return to the octagon.
Alvarez (29-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) bet on himself when he opted not to sign a new contract ahead of the fight with Poirier (24-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC), which he lost by second-round TKO. The former UFC and Bellator champ now finds himself in an interesting predicament with just one victory in his past four bouts.
Although Alvarez has proven himself to be one of the great action fighters in the sport since he turned pro in 2003, it remains to be seen what the future holds. The 34-year-old’s best days could be behind him, and with perhaps only a handful of fights remaining in his career, UFC President Dana White said “The Underground King” has some choices to make.
“I like Eddie Alvarez,” White said on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “I like him personally, and I like him professionally. He’s at an age now where he needs to make some decisions for his family and for what will probably be the last contract he signs for the rest of his career. I’m in a place if Eddie wants to go somewhere else and try it, I’m cool with that. If Eddie wants to stay, I’d keep him here too.
“I told him that. I told him, ‘Listen, if you want to finish your career with me I would like that. If you want to finish your career somewhere else, I have no problem with that either, man.’ When guys get to the point where it’s the last contract they’ll ever sign, I understand.”
Since Alvarez moved to the UFC from Bellator in 2014, he’s fought nothing but the highest level of competition. His list of octagon opponents includes Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Donald Cerrone.
The loss to Poirier was a difficult setback but not necessarily one that shows Alvarez is no longer a top fighter at 155 pounds due to the fact “The Diamond” is trending upward in the weight class.
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Dana White: 'No problem' if Eddie Alvarez wants to finish career outside UFC
