Top 5 fighters that the UFC stole from other promotions
The UFC is the top promotion in the mixed martial arts world and it comes as no surprise that if you are pursuing combat sports as a career, the UFC is your dream destination. For many fighters, though, it takes multiple impressive fights to get them into a multi-fight contract with the UFC.
There are fighters who spend their entire career fighting on the regional scene just to catch a glimpse of the UFC’s interest and then there are some who have the right connections and endorsements to get them in much quicker than others.
Of course, the UFC is starting to see competition from peripheral promotions such as Bellator and World Series of Fighting because of their addition of Reebok fight kits, but regardless, the UFC still holds its place as the summit in the world of combat sports.
Make no mistake, the UFC is still the apple of every fighters eye. Here are Sportskeeda’s top 5 fighters who the UFC stole from other promotions.
#1 Eddie Alvarez
When the former Bellator lightweight champion was finally signed to the UFC in the summer of 2014, the general consensus in the MMA community was “finally!”
Alvarez has spent the better part of his illustrious career fighting in all the notable promotions outside of the UFC, earning himself his flawless nickname “The Underground King”.
When the 33-year-old left Bellator for the UFC, he left behind a brilliant legacy of grudge matches with current Bellator champ Michael Chandler as well as the championship itself. Alvarez was known for his gritty wrestling, his durable exterior and his ability to eat punches as well as offer them excessively.
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Unfortunately, his well-known reputation was neutralised against Donald Cerrone in his much-anticipated debut at UFC 178.
Despite the setback, he eventually captured the UFC lightweight championship in 2016, becoming the first fighter in MMA history to hold both the UFC and Bellator championships.