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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Eddie Alvarez fights Michael Chandler a third time in Bellator on May 17, headlining Bellator's first pay-per-view event for the Lightweight Championship. Alvarez edged past Chandler in their rematch late last year, following a lengthy contract dispute that held him out most of 2013, and their rubber match appears to be Alvarez's final fight with Bellator regardless of what happens.
That had been the report when Alvarez came to a settlement with the organization, as it was said he'd owe them a rematch with a win over Chandler, but could leave with a loss or consecutive wins. Spike TV President Kevin Kay seems to have confirmed as much this week in an interview with MMAWeekly.com.
"You've got Eddie Alvarez who has, win or lose, made the determination that he's going to move on from this promotion," Kay said. "If he wins, he can write his own ticket. If he loses, he's putting himself in a lot of jeopardy. He's got a lot at stake."
"I don't know if it's set in stone, but I'll tell you what I know which is if Eddie wins this fight I think that in his head he's leaving the promotion. I think he's going to want to explore what his value is."
Alvarez found out what his value was once, as he received a significant offer from the UFC in 2012 which would have given him a title shot on a big pay-per-view card last year, which in turn would have netted him a considerable payday with pay-per-view points. He was also guaranteed placement on a Fox card, among other things.
Bellator claimed to "match" that deal, despite no history of pay-per-view and no network television outlet, and it led to nearly a year of litigation between the two sides. Alvarez begrudgingly returned, and after beating Chandler in the rematch, has the opportunity to go out on an even higher note. However, a loss to Chandler could hurt his value in trying to get another deal from the UFC, and that's the risk he's taking.
"If he loses this fight he has the option to stay in Bellator," Kay said. "You'd have to talk to Eddie about this, but I guess my sense is he'd like to move on. It's harder if you don't win. That's all I'm going to say. Listen, I like Eddie Alvarez. He's been great for Bellator. He's been great for the promotion. Of course we'd love him to stay, but he wants to chart his own course, and he's got his own plan."
"If he decides he wants to stay, I'm sure everybody would be open to having that conversation. I don't believe that's what's on his mind."
Penick's Analysis: Alvarez is gone one way or the other, and he has no reason to stay with Bellator given what happened with his original attempt to leave. He wants to be the best in the world, which means he absolutely must win this fight with Chandler to get the UFC's attention again. This is the biggest fight of his career by far, and a win could bring him an even bigger contract offer from the UFC.
[Eddie Alvarez photo (c) Henry Dziekan III]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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