Alvarez Undergoes Knee Surgery, Back in April

Eddie Alvarez underwent outpatient arthroscopic surgery for two tears in his medial meniscus on Wednesday at the Temple Hospital in Philadelphia, Sherdog.com has learned.

Bellator Fighting Championships’ lightweight champion said the surgery was minor, and that he expects to be back to training in four to six weeks for a bout with Bellator proposed for the end of April.

“I had two tears and they shaved down my meniscus where I still have 75 percent of it,” said Alvarez, who turned 26 on Tuesday. “Dr. Moyer said my meniscus was actually larger than normal, which was pretty funny to hear. The surgery and all, including prep, took maybe one hour at best.”

Alvarez, who’s expecting his third child in May with his wife Jamie, said he’s already seeing results from the procedure.

“I feel in less pain and have more movement now than I did before the surgery,” he said. “It’s safe to say it was a success.”

Alvarez said he believes the damage occurred following his second-round victory against Katsunori Kikuno at Dream 12 last April in Japan. Alvarez had a rough going in the bout’s first round when Kikuno caught the high-energy wrestler in an awkward standing crucifix.

“A lot of it came from training after the Kikuno fight,” said Alvarez. “I was right back in the gym and didn’t give myself enough time to recover.”

With only two career losses to Shinya Aoki and Nick Thompson, the swift and agile Alvarez has bested top lightweight talent like Tatsuya Kawajiri and Joachim Hansen.

Alvarez’s manager, Monte Cox, said both the UFC and Strikeforce have shown continued interest in the fighter. The lightweight’s EliteXC contract was technically up for grabs when Strikeforce made its assets purchase last February, though it was uniquely drafted to accommodate Alvarez’s Bellator contract as well. Cox said Strikeforce has not pursued a way, legal or otherwise, to transfer the EliteXC contract over to its organization.

“Dream is still around, but my primary focus is Bellator right now,” said Alvarez, who spoke highly of Strikeforce and the UFC. “If there is a point where I don’t have a fight with them, I could possibly fight for Dream with Bellator’s blessing.”

Alvarez said he was flattered to hear his name being thrown in the mix against UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The seemingly unstoppable Penn has trounced his latest competition and a proposed April outing against Frankie Edgar doesn’t seem any more promising. Alvarez told Sherdog.com that he has no immediate plans to join the UFC if asked.

“I’m pretty realistic about my matches and I’m still learning and working on a bunch of things,” said Alvarez of a Penn showdown. “I wouldn’t see myself taking a fight like that for at least another year or so.”