At one point Eddie Alvarez was one of the most sought after free-agents on the market.
The former Bellator champion received a very lucrative offer from The Ultimate Fighting Championship and the sky seemed to be the limit for the international star.
That’s when things got ugly.
Bellator refused to let go of their premier athlete and a nasty court battle ensued.
Now that the two parties have settled, a report coming out of the subscription based, Wrestling Observer, sheds some light on the newly inked contract of Eddie Alvarez.
According to the report, Alvarez inked just a two fight deal. In the contract there is a slew of free agency clauses protecting Alvarez from the same obstacles he just jumped through. If Alvarez loses his return fight to Michael Chandler on the Bellator PPV this November he will be instantly released from all Bellator obligations. At the same time, if Alvarez is victorious and becomes the Bellator lightweight champion he will compete once more against Chandler in a rubber match and regardless of the outcome, after the second contracted fight, he will also be a free agent and be eligible to sign a contract elsewhere.
Both Eddie Alvarez and Bellator are taking a huge gamble here. If Eddie can avenge his last career defeat against Chandler and do it two-times in a row, he leaves the promotion more valuable than ever and leaves their marquee division without a champion.
If Eddie loses either of these two-fights his stock plummets and the UFC’s bid on him will likely be greatly devalued.
Risky business!