With the likes of Benson Henderson, Alistair Overeem and Aljamain Sterling hitting the free agent market, the concept of athletes fighting out their contracts is becoming more common in MMA. Eddie Alvarez has been there and done that, and he preached the importance of getting every dollar possible.
Prior to joining the UFC roster in September 2014, Alvarez (26-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who fights Anthony Pettis (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 81, was caught up in one of the most well-publicized contract battles in the young history of the sport. He was stuck between Bellator, where he held the lightweight title, and the UFC, which offered a lucrative contract to jump promotions.
Following months of expensive legal proceedings to determine the value of each contract offer, Bellator eventually folded its hand and parted ways with Alvarez, allowing him to finally join the UFC roster. The process was more difficult, drawn-out and stressful than most free agent scenarios, but in the end Alvarez said he got the deal he wanted and was best for his career.
The list of names in the sport that would cause two organizations to invest so many resources is limited, but Alvarez is one of those people. Alvarez made disclosed salary of $100,000 for his loss to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut at UFC 178, but likely received other financial benefits, as well.
The experience of moving from Bellator to UFC was lengthy, complicated and at times seemingly hopeless, but in the end Alvarez said he got what he wanted. He said that was the primary goal of free agency regardless of which brand name was printed at the top of his contract.
“It ended up going really well; a lot of these lightweights would probably get angry about how I made out,” Alvarez told MMAjunkie. “Personally my goal was to never to – my end all be all was never, ‘Oh, I want to be a UFC fighter. I always wanted to build value to myself, for Eddie Alvarez. It wasn’t so much about the promotion that’s building myself as a commodity.”
Alvarez has done a near-perfect job of building himself into an attractive product in the sport. He beat many notables early in his career before he joined Bellator where he won 10 of 11 fights and held the organization’s lightweight title.
Once he finally got to the UFC, Alvarez stumbled with the loss to Cerrone before he rebounded in a big way with a unanimous decision win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez at UFC 188 in June. Now Alvarez has another big fight ahead, because he’s set to take on Pettis in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 81 at Boston’s TD Garden. The event airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on the same channel and UFC Fight Pass.
Pettis is the former UFC lightweight champion that will be looking to rebound after he dropped the belt to current titleholder Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 in March. It’s a significant matchup for both men, and one Alvarez said he likely wouldn’t have been in position for if he didn’t stand strong during contract negotiations.
Not every fighter that hits the free agent market is going to come out the other end with a contract that’s satisfactory, but Alvarez said it’s crucial to get as close to that point as possible. MMA is a sport where athletes must maximize their value on every level, because the promoter certainly won’t do it for them. Alvarez felt he did that, and he hopes others will do what’s necessary to accomplish the same.
“I just recommend the guys that are up-and-coming to build value for themselves, not just go to the UFC or go to the these other promotions on their hands and knees to give them a couple dollars,” Alvarez said. “They need to build value that they need to bring to the promotion first and think about it that way rather than just asking for a job.”
For more on UFC Fight Night 81, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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