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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
For the past several years, there have been three names in the lightweight division outside of the UFC that have held a spot in the top ten of the rankings. Those three fighters are Gilbert Melendez, Shinya Aoki, and Eddie Alvarez.
Melendez appeared to be closing in on an entrance into the UFC before Showtime and Strikeforce renewed their deal, locking him in that organization for the foreseeable future. The other two will square off for the second time this April, but in an intriguing twist, it may lead to Alvarez's entrance into the UFC.
According to a report from Fighter's Only, Alvarez's bout with Aoki will be the final fight on his Bellator contract, and negotiations between the two sides have begun to sour.
With the two sides coming to a stand-still in negotiations, Alvarez will be a free agent following the Aoki rematch, and with losing his title to Michael Chandler in a fantastic fight in November he's no longer bound by the Championship clause. Because of that, and the fact that he's been on the UFC's radar for some time, a move to the sport's premier organization could finally be a reality.
Penick's Analysis: Alvarez has spent several prime years of his career against a lesser level of competition overall, save for a handful of fights sprinkled in, and most have hoped to see him inside of the Octagon during that time. With the Championship clause no longer holding him in Bellator, a win over Aoki in April could send him into the UFC on a high note, and he could be plugged right into the veritable "mix" in the division. We'll obviously need to wait to see how things go in the Aoki fight, but the prospects of Alvarez actually heading to the UFC this year are absolutely intriguing.
[Eddie Alvarez photo (c) Henry Dziekan III]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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