UFC/ONE Championship News: Eddie Alvarez edges closer to signing with ONE Championship
What's the story?
Former UFC Lightweight Champion is reportedly close to signing a deal with ONE Championship, as per a report from ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
In case you didn't know...
Eddie Alvarez made his UFC debut in 2014 against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in the co-main event of UFC 178. In his first official fight for the UFC, Alvarez, who despite taking control of the fight in the early stages ended up losing to Cerrone via split decision.
Following a win over former Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, Alvarez then received his first title shot in the UFC, as he challenged Rafael Dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight Title at UFC on Fox 90 and despite being the underdog heading into the fight, The Underground King managed to pull off a TKO win over Dos Anjos to win his first championship in the UFC.
The heart of the matter
Respected MMA Journalist Ariel Helwani took to Twitter and noted that top UFC Lightweight contender and former 155-pound champion, Eddie Alvarez is close to signing a deal with ONE Championship as he prepares his departure from the UFC.
Helwani noted that the signing of free agent Alvarez would certainly go down as one of the biggest FA signings in ONE history and multiple sources have also confirmed that The Underground King is indeed on his way to the promotion.
Alvarez, who has previously won championships with the UFC, Bellator, MFC, and Bodog, last competed for Dana White's promotion back at UFC Calgary in a mouthwatering rematch against Dustin Poirier, which he eventually ended up losing.
However, prior to the setback in Calgary, Alvarez had already scored a huge win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 218 in Detroit.
What's next?
Signing with ONE Championship will definitely come in as a huge deal for the promotion and will be a positive step for Eddie Alvarez, however, simultaneously it will also prove to be a huge loss for the UFC as well.
Alvarez's signing isn't confirmed yet and we will keep reporting on this developing story.