Alvarez Sees Inverted Triangles Coming

So, how’s your inverted triangle choke defense these days?

It’s a question that Eddie Alvarez (17-2) probably never thought he’d have to answer. But after Toby Imada (22-12) pulled off the shock of Bellator Fighting Championships’ lightweight tournament by submitting Jorge Masvidal with the move, it’s something Alvarez has to consider, if only for a moment.

“We went over that,“ Alvarez said with a laugh on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Wednesday. “[We’re] troubleshooting and checking it out. But for the most part it’s just one of those things that you don’t get into. You won’t see me shooting for a single, then coming out the back door, if that’s what you‘re asking.”

Alvarez says he knows how Imada sets up the inverted triangle that earned him a bid into the finals this Friday at Bellator’s season finale in Hollywood, Fla., and he’ll be on the lookout for it.

“It’s just one of those freaky things man,” said Alvarez. “I’m happy for him, but I’m here to do my thing. I’m here to beat Toby Imada. I’m here to beat him bad.”

It’s been a busy year for the lightweight from Philadelphia. Friday’s appearance will make it three fights in three months and six bouts in a little over 12 months. So while speculation runs rampant over what Alvarez will do in the cage (or ring) following the title bout with Imada, Alvarez is more concerned with what he does out of it.

“First and foremost, I‘ve fought like six times in the past like… I don‘t even know, I fought a lot in the past year and I haven’t gotten a break. I really haven’t,” Alvarez said. “So what I’m going to do is, I’m going to take some time out because the last three fights in the last three months is a lot of work in a little bit of time. I just want to concentrate on my family. Hang out with my kids, my wife and be able to enjoy each other for a little bit.”

If Alvarez, the odds-on favorite, is able to win Bellator’s lightweight title, his contract could potentially extend another 18 months or three fights, whichever comes first. That would be in addition to the three-year or eight-fight base contract presumably already signed, according to one version of the Bellator contract obtained by Sherdog.com.

While Alvarez wouldn’t divulge much on his contract specifically, he certainly isn’t opposed to working with Bellator.

“Bellator has treated me great and I also love fighting here in the United States with this promotion,” said Alvarez. “They have top-notch production and they got some, even though they’re not well known guys, they’ve got very good fighters in this promotion who can put on good fights.”

Alvarez also has one fight left on his contract with Dream. The last time we saw the 24-year-old dynamo in Dream was in a TKO victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri last July during the promotion’s tournament finals. But there’s no real rush to get the lightweight back for that last fight.

“I have to speak to (manager) Monte (Cox) about that,” Alvarez said. “But right now my main priority is Bellator. I have no other priorities right now. Dream is willing to wait. They’re cool with me. It’s only one more fight and I’m sure they’re not going to get mad at me. They’re willing to work with us and that’s why we signed with Dream in the first place. I’m not in a hurry to get over there right now.”