Ex-Bellator champ and new free agent Eddie Alvarez to meet with Viacom execs

Most MMA observers assumed that Eddie Alvarez delivered what amounted to a farewell knockout when he put Patricky "Pitbull" Freire on the mat this past Friday at Bellator 76.

With Alvarez (24-3 MMA, 9-1 BFC) soon to be a free agent and the UFC signaling interest in the ex-lightweight champ, it seemed just a matter of putting pen to paper.

Alvarez, though, told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that sticking with his longtime promoter isn't out of the question. He plans to meet with Viacom execs to discuss his future.

"It's something that I didn't think was going to happen," the 28-year-old fighter said today. "It was put out there that I may be moving on, or they were going to move on without me.

"But now, it's a little bit different, and the people at Viacom want to speak and I'm definitely going to sit down and listen to what they have to say. (Bellator CEO) Bjorn (Rebney) took care of me for the past four years, and I think it's only right."

Bellator retains exclusive rights to negotiate with Alvarez for 90 days, and then match offers from competing promotions for between six and 12 months, according to a source close to the fighter. His freedom, however, has been hotly anticipated by hardcore fans wanting to see how he'd fare against the UFC's top fighters, and his stock recovered more of its value with back-to-back wins following the loss of his title 11 months ago to Michael Chandler.

Alvarez delivered an ultimatum to Rebney inside the cage following a first-round TKO of Shinya Aoki in April.

"Show me the money!" Alvarez crowed after his win, which avenged a 2008 submission loss to the former DREAM champ.

Rebney afterward spoke openly about the possibility that his promotion might not be able to match competing offers for Alvarez, and despite a fondness for the fighter, said it might be wiser to let the fighter walk.

Apart from a post-fight cage vault to kiss his wife, Alvarez was considerably more restrained following a head-kick knockout of Freire, saying competition trumped money in importance.

Viacom's emergence as a negotiator, however, marks a new chapter in his history with Bellator, and could provide a lucrative reason to stay.

Alvarez did clarify that he would be entertaining offers from other promotions, presumably including the UFC. Following this past Saturday's UFC 153, UFC President Dana White hinted that Alvarez would soon get a call from him to discuss a potential move to the octagon.

Alvarez said a one-off, non-title fight with Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez would be a win for the fighters, but added, "It doesn't seem like the Strikeforce guys are that secure. I'm hearing rumors, so maybe he's on his way out of his contract, as well."

In any event, the veteran fighter sounded far less certain about his fate than before. Although he said Bellator's unwillingness to allow him a direct rematch with Chandler remained a "sticking point," he said the exposure offered by the promotion's January move to Spike could be worth his while.

Rebney repeatedly has said Bellator won't give Alvarez a shot at Chandler's belt before he wins another lightweight tournament.

"For promotions, and for fighters, it's risky business," Alvarez said. "I spent 10 years of my life trying to build a reputation and build a name, and some guy out of nowhere with six fights or whatever, he doesn't work nearly as hard and he gets a chance to throw a punch with his eyes closed and take everything you've earned. It sucks to see that, but that's the nature of the sport. So you've got to do what you've got to do."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/31180/ex-bellator-champ-and-new-free-agent-eddie-alvarez-to-meet-with-viacom-execs.mma

Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...


Hey Will... That's Jose's opinion. We 'all' gotta refrain from calling each other 'any' kinda of names. "zuffa-zombie", "blind-zuffa-hater", "suspected-serial-killer" (except for IQ wrestler). It goes all ways. I just want to make sure we keep the tone down here so we don't risk getting any e-beefs and that kinda stuff going on here. Civility is our friend.

Dagwood
Admin

MR.WILLIE wrote:

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...

MMA is a sport, that is how sports work. Like in basketball, you might get a huge offer to stay in your hometown but you choose a larger market because of a better chance at a championship. Unfortunately, people don't remember you by your stats or how you fight, they remember you by your legacy and how much you've accomplished, how many championships you've won, how many top five fighters you have on your list.

Legacy is everything in MMA.

UFC titles are nothing special imo. The biggest title in the future will be something similar to WAMMA.

wekka wrote:

MR.WILLIE wrote:

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...

MMA is a sport, that is how sports work. Like in basketball, you might get a huge offer to stay in your hometown but you choose a larger market because of a better chance at a championship. Unfortunately, people don't remember you by your stats or how you fight, they remember you by your legacy and how much you've accomplished, how many championships you've won, how many top five fighters you have on your list.

Legacy is everything in MMA.

so if you were a mma fighter and viacom pays you 250k per fight but zuffa pays you 200k, you will sign with zuffa beacuse the ufc is the best??????

fuck no...re-sign with bellator and fuck zuffa's legacy or mainstreem shit whatever that is

MR.WILLIE wrote:

wekka wrote:

MR.WILLIE wrote:

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...

MMA is a sport, that is how sports work. Like in basketball, you might get a huge offer to stay in your hometown but you choose a larger market because of a better chance at a championship. Unfortunately, people don't remember you by your stats or how you fight, they remember you by your legacy and how much you've accomplished, how many championships you've won, how many top five fighters you have on your list.

Legacy is everything in MMA.

so if you were a mma fighter and viacom pays you 250k per fight but zuffa pays you 200k, you will sign with zuffa beacuse the ufc is the best??????

fuck no...re-sign with bellator and fuck zuffa's legacy or mainstreem shit whatever that is

I think I know what wekka is trying to say. There is one thing missing IMO and that is.... a top player/etc. being financially secure enough at some point in their career to focus on their legacy or championship building. At that point some will take pay cuts to cement their records or legacy.

In MMA this is really not even an issue do to the pay-scales at this point. With the exception of Fedor though. Other than that, the money isn't big enough to make them forget about feeding their family or keeping a roof over their head really.

I would be interested though to hear form Jose which UFC fighters wouldn't leave the UFC for higher pay and/or bigger guarantees???

Even if it was a SFL or KSW contract for millions guarranteed up from and a guaranteed term/fights etc. (meaning that org would have to buyout their contract if they wanted to cut them)??? Also... take out the threat of Dana & Lornezo blackballing them/threats/etc. to be fair. We're just talking paydays here and maybe more guarantees.

Jose Cansayflows wrote:
With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

I was almost sure he was going for the UFC, but from the looks of this news he'll go with the money.

I've been a boxing fan for a very long time. The first big fight I watched was JCC vs Pernell Whitaker. I think I was 8 or 9 at the time, and was a boxing fan ever since.

Top boxers make a lot more money than top MMA fighters. A fucking hell of a lot more. Those a little bit below still make good money, more than almost any MMA fighter, without a doubt (though most likely more than every MMA fighter).

Even financially secure boxers very rarely chase after this mythical legacy thing. What it is, boxers who fight each other naturally build a legacy. Think the heavyweight division in the 1960s and 1970s. Think the Hearns, and Leonards, and Durans, and Haglers of the 1970s-1980s. These guys all fought each other, but they all made very good money doing so. A guy who was around back than could chime in better than I could, but I would say it was because boxing was still a mainstream sport back then, and the fans demanded the fights, that they happened. Now a days, everything is changed, and fighters cherry pick, with some exceptions, but no exceptions when it comes to the a-list fighters.

Irregardless, even in boxing's recent heydays, fighters didn't just go out and fight guys in order to build a legacy. Prize fighting is a very tough occupation. Sure fights build legacies, but it is almost always about the dollars first and foremost.

You can bring up a guy like Holyfield, who is one of the greatest fighters (any weight) of all time in my book, stepping up to heavyweight and taking on all comers. I would agree that this is somewhat an instance of it, but at the same time, heavyweight is where all the money is, so it doesn't disprove my original point whatsoever, even in his isolated case.

By the way, Ray Leonard also ducked Aaron Pryor. Why? Because as good a fighter he was, he didn't possess the name of a "Hearns" or a "Hagler" (and for the record, Pryor stood an excellent shot at winning that fight).

They call it "prize fighting" for a reason, you fight for a prize, i.e. money. There is no reason to subject yourself to professional fighting at a high level for any other purpose, bar nothing.

With all that being said, if we talk about this fighting top challengers and building a legacy deal within the context of MMA, Fedor stands atop the mount. He fought all comers and destroyed them. Prime Fedor was something really special.

Nogueira is another. The guy was always one step behind Fedor, and would always fight anybody.

Sakuraba.

BJ Penn.

I almost forgot to say Wanderlei Silva.

And of course numerous others.

But Fedor is a top the mount when it comes to these legacy making fights, and that's why people say he is the GOAT.

People can say whatever they like about some of Pride's matchmaking, but they gave the fans the fights they wanted, and they would pay top dollar to do so. That's what made them the greatest org. Experimental matches aside, there was some really great stuff. Two words: grand prixs. This arrangement was the pinnacle of good matchmaking. Take all the best fighters you have, and make them all fight in a big tournament. Probably we'll never see anything like it again.

I'm a little embarrassed, I forgot Dan Henderson, who is the best American MMA fighter of all time.

^

TBH i think Big Nog surpasses everyone. He faced most of the guys Fedya did, and also the ones it unfortunately didn't happen like Barnett and Kharitonov and Randy. It would be nice if he had beaten Mir and Cain too just to kick ass the old and new generation they have there, but he was already zombie nog unfortunately.

Nog's really tough and one of the bravest and most acomplished fighters of all.

Anyway, i'll stop going off topic. Back to Eddie now...

MR.WILLIE wrote:

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...


Hey Will... That's Jose's opinion. We 'all' gotta refrain from calling each other 'any' kinda of names. "zuffa-zombie", "blind-zuffa-hater", "suspected-serial-killer" (except for IQ wrestler). It goes all ways. I just want to make sure we keep the tone down here so we don't risk getting any e-beefs and that kinda stuff going on here. Civility is our friend.

Dagwood
Admin

Are you serious man? I'm a zuffa zombie? WTF does that even mean? It is not an opinion but a FACT the best LW's are in the UFC. Me stating this does not mean I'm a "zuffa zombie".

Wolfman wrote:^

TBH i think Big Nog surpasses everyone. He faced most of the guys Fedya did, and also the ones it unfortunately didn't happen like Barnett and Kharitonov and Randy. It would be nice if he had beaten Mir and Cain too just to kick ass the old and new generation they have there, but he was already zombie nog unfortunately.

Nog's really tough and one of the bravest and most acomplished fighters of all.

Anyway, i'll stop going off topic. Back to Eddie now...

True, and Nog is an absolute legend.

But, Fedor faced down the tough challenges and won, Nog included. And it was also of course the ways in which he won.

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

MR.WILLIE wrote:

Jose Cansayflows wrote:

Sweet Pea Is My Mom wrote:Interesting. Viacom have a shit load of money. Considering Eddie's former statements about Bellator taking care of him and the importance of getting a consistent paycheck to feed his family, etc., if Viacom sees Eddie as a key to Bellator's success, I wouldn't be surprised if he resigns. I guess it depends on what he values in his career right now, a stable cash flow, or the glory of fighting to be the best LW in the world. Now, I don't think the UFC LW division is as great as people think it is, but one can't dispute that a UFC belt is the most coveted prize in the sport right now.

With the talent pool of LW's in the UFC, it would do Eddie's legacy good if he went there, if his legacy is what he wants to cement. If he is strictly thinking monetary, go with the bigger pay check.

legacy my ass.....sign were the money is....bro who the fuck has a job offering and will sign with another for

legacy???? wtf is wrong with you zuffa zombies...


Hey Will... That's Jose's opinion. We 'all' gotta refrain from calling each other 'any' kinda of names. "zuffa-zombie", "blind-zuffa-hater", "suspected-serial-killer" (except for IQ wrestler). It goes all ways. I just want to make sure we keep the tone down here so we don't risk getting any e-beefs and that kinda stuff going on here. Civility is our friend.

Dagwood
Admin

Are you serious man? I'm a zuffa zombie? WTF does that even mean? It is not an opinion but a FACT the best LW's are in the UFC. Me stating this does not mean I'm a "zuffa zombie".

Willie, you or anybody else shouldn't be calling other names here. I spoke to him about that already. I'me sure he'll refrain from now on.


Jose - As far as the UFC's LHW division goes...

IMO - Sweat Pea Is My Mom stated things fairly and quite eloquently. It is Zuffa/UFC propaganda that ONLY the best fighters in the world fight there. There is no way to prove that claim as their fighters don't come from a sample pool of ALL the world's pro fighters who qualify through global tournaments to make the UFC team.

In the NFL or NBA's case... they can claim that they have ONLY the top players in the world because there is a system in place that ensures this.


e.g. 1

American Football - Players Yearly (estimates)

2M little league > 850K High School > 100K College > 500 NFL drafted > 45 making NFL roster (1200 players)

So you have a pool of ALL American-style football players that COMPETE to make it from youth football... to high school football... then to college football... then to the premier American football league. You start with 2M and only 45 of the measured best through completion to make teams and competition between teams reach the NFL. This system culminates in actual physical testing at the NFL combines for speed, strength, explosiveness, vertical/horizontal leap, agility, hand eye co-ordination, football knowledge, playing-filed IQ, & more.


e.g. 2

The world BJJ championships or Olympic Judo.

ALL (thousands) top local fighters worldwide compete for spots to compete in regional championship tournaments. Top-placing regional fighters qualify for state/provincial championship tournaments. Top-placing state/provincial fighters qualify for national championship tournaments. Top-placing national fighters qualify for world championship tournaments. Then world champions are crowned and fighters are ranked in world ranking based on that years performance at world championships.

The top 10, 20, 50, 100 players/fighters have proven themselves to unequivocally be in the top X group of fighters in the world. They've proved it through a yearly competition between the 'proven' best fighters in each nation. No speculation or conjecture here! There is way to discount the winners or top players. That would be like trying to argue that the NEW York Giants weren't the best team in NFL football in 2012.

Anything anybody says about only the top fighters being in the is pure conjecture. There is no system in place to prove that.

LHW?? I said LW. Please give me a roster of LW's deeper and better than UFC's.

Jose Cansayflows wrote:LHW?? I said LW. Please give me a roster of LW's deeper and better than UFC's.

You're missing my point. Weight-class is irrelevant. Sure I think that the UFC's LW divison has many of the the best LW fighters in the world. Do I think that there are a few fighters out there that are as good or better than 'some' of the UFC 10 best LW's???... yes! The same for any other weight class.

The UFC doesn't have a monopoly on the 10 best anything IMO. The MMA-media and the site rankings are so heavily weighted in favor of UFC fighters cause that's about all/all they focus on. For sure it's where they get a lot of their info from along with their fighter evaluations garnered from a lot of match-ups that are pretty convoluted to say the least. Selectively positioned stuff that puts Zuffa's their own spin on the info & outcomes that UFC-centered media & UFC-only fans base all their opinions on.

How can anyone make an informed decision on which the top fighters in the world are unless they are closely watching and evaluating most-ALL fighters from most-ALL MMA orgs in the world??? Simple... you can't. For 90%+++ MMA fans & MMA media they only get their info on fighters from the UFC itself and from watching only UFC events. It's not very smart to make unequivocal statements without having researched all the data. Ludicrous actually. You get a lot of incorrect conclusions that way.

I watch Bellator, Titan, Bamma, OneFC and Tachi Palace fights as well as Shooto and Jungle Fights as well as any org broadcasted on HDnet/AXS Tv. None of those org's have a better LW line up than the UFC. Not to mention I never said there WASN'T any LW's out there better than some of the top ten LW's in the UFC.

Jose Cansayflows wrote:I watch Bellator, Titan, Bamma, OneFC and Tachi Palace fights as well as Shooto and Jungle Fights as well as any org broadcasted on HDnet/AXS Tv. None of those org's have a better LW line up than the UFC. Not to mention I never said there WASN'T any LW's out there better than some of the top ten LW's in the UFC.

Yeah - I agree the UFC has the most top fighters at LW of any org. They most top fighters in all weight divisions. Not all though... as I said there are some fighter just as good or better as many in their top 10 guys in each division.

I'm glad you watch all those orgs and fighters. You luv MMA not just UFC just like the rest of us here. We can use more guys here that are well-versed in Brazilian, other American, and Asian MMA and their fighters. That's the 'main' reason we put the place together. Your never gonna get "who gives a shit about" X org, it's fighters or country cause... it's not the UFC or that every one of their fighters is shit and not as good or better than any fighter under contract to the UFC. Never. No ridicule, no nothing like that.