Former UFC champion wants to be a part of Dana White's proposed BMF 4-man tournament: "Can I play???"
It turns out that the proposed four-man BMF tournament involving Max Holloway, Dan Hooker, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje has a lot of interested observers. Initially proposed by combat sports journalist Andreas Hale, the idea has been upheld by Poirier and UFC CEO Dana White.
When asked if he would consider putting together the tournament, White said at a recent press conference:
"Sounds fun! Never thought about it but... Yeah, I'd love it!"
ESPN MMA posted White's statement on Instagram.
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez took to the comments section and wrote:
"Can I play????"
Alvarez holds a win over former BMF title holder Justin Gaethje. The 40-year-old handed Gaethje his first defeat at UFC 218 to earn the monicker 'UFC's most violent man'.
'The Underground King' also fought Poirier twice in the UFC. The first fight resulted in a no-contest after accidental illegal strikes from Alvarez. However, Poirier scored a resounding third-round KO victory in the July 2018 rematch.
Fan favorite UFC featherweight offers to step in as last-minute replacement for BMF tournament
Eddie Alvarez is not the only fighter interested in becoming a part of the proposed BMF tournament. Top five featherweight contender Diego Lopes, who has had a meteoric rise in the UFC, is also interested in being a part of the tournament.
Lopes has fought under difficult circumstances a few times in the UFC and produced respectable performances irrespective of the outcome. He offered to step in as a back-up fighter for the BMF tournament in the comments section of the aforementioned post, writing:
"If you need a last-minute replacement, I'm here."
The ceremonial BMF title was first created for a high-profile fight between UFC superstars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz at UFC 244. While Dana White had said that it would be a one-off fight, the title was on the line in Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier's UFC 291 rematch. Gaethje defeated Poirier to win the title but lost it to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
While featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has made it a part of the build-up heading into his first title defense against Holloway at UFC 308, the BMF title is officially not on the line. Meanwhile, Nate Diaz has also chimed in with his thoughts on the BMF tournament.