Eddie Alvarez, one of the few elite level talents not currently under Zuffa contract right now, has certainly been making waves with the things he’s been saying and writing. Alvarez, currently in the midst of a contract dispute involving Bellator and the UFC, has had some colorful things to say recently regarding the whole process. He was on Ariel Helwani’s “MMA Hour” this afternoon to discuss it all, reiterating things he discussed with theBleacher Report earlier.
So far we know a handful of things … and we think we know more.
1. Eddie Alvarez is still willing to fight for Bellator … but almost begrudgingly
You can tell in his interviews that Eddie just wants to fight, period, for the big paydays he thought were coming to him with the Zuffa deal. He was apparently going to be on the undercards of both the GSP/Condit fight and the Sonnen/Jones fight, of which he’d get a healthy PPV cut. Understandably he’s upset because this is the time to make life-changing money in his career and he’s paying lawyers and selling investment properties to keep food on the table instead of earning his living in the cage.
2. Viacom and Bellator are curiously silent
So far we’re only hearing Eddie’s side of the story. The big news of the day, of Bellator releasing the cast list for “Fight Master,” has been obscured with Alvarez’s ranting with Ariel Helwani. The fact that they haven’t said anything, from either a terse “We will wait for our day in court” type of statement to a “back at you, buddy” type of banter from Bjorn Rebney, says something.
We haven’t heard anything from them, especially in regards to the more savory things Eddie Alvarez has alleged they’ve done. We have to withhold judgment on the whole scenario until we hear their side.
3. There isn’t a groundswell of support for Eddie
His contract situation is an interesting one, especially considering the Bellator contract is modeled after the Zuffa version, but there isn’t this massive “Rally for Mark Hunt” level of support for him. Bellator traffic isn’t all that impressive from a web site perspective so it kind of makes sense that there isn’t anything coming from this outside of a segment from the hardcore fan base.
4. The UFC is quiet … and rightfully so
Dana White and company made their offer and are now just having to wait it out. You can’t blame them for being quiet, as well, as the most we’ve heard from them is the occasional answer from Dana in a scrum about the situation. The UFC made a fair offer for Eddie, especially in light of Hector Lombard not living up to expectations, and all they can do is wait right now.
