As UFC Grows, Alvarez Still Building His Own Name
Sherdog.com Staff Apr 1, 2011
Although Eddie
Alvarez has a home in
Bellator Fighting Championships, theUFC’s
acquisition of yet another competitor in Strikeforce
has left him slightly uncomfortable for the time being.
“That makes me a little nervous because they just got too much money to be able to throw out there and buy up,” Alvarez (Pictured) said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “For right now, there’s nothing I can do. They’re just buying everything. Hopefully Bellator just stays with the don’t-sell agreement and we’re able to stay on MTV2 for the next couple of years and get my name out there to the millions of fans watching.”
Alvarez, ranked as the No. 5 lightweight in the world, is widely
regarded as one of the top fighters not signed to the UFC. He’s
built a successful career competing in various promotions abroad
and in the U.S. With Bellator, he gives the company some needed
star power but also gets to build his own name.
“It all has to do with me being able to capitalize financially as much as I can while I’m in this sport,” he said. “The only way to do that is to build yourself. Some of these guys who are going into the UFC, they have no leverage. They have zero, zero leverage. They’re not an asset to the company yet. They basically have no leverage to be able to say to a company, ‘Hey, I want this much and I feel that’s what I’m worth.’ UFC is going to laugh at them and say, ‘No, you are nothing without us.’”
“I want to have some sort of leverage to say, ‘Look, I understand what you’re able to bring me, but look what I can bring you.’ I think that’s important,” he said. “More than anything, I just want to build myself and my brand and be an asset to a company rather than be disposable at any point.”
Alvarez also joked that when he heard about the UFC buying Strikeforce, his immediate thought was to buy some stock in Bellator. The more he talked about it, the less he seemed to be joking. With that said, though, Alvarez sounds happy with Bellator.
The company’s lightweight champion, he defends his title April 2 against Pat Curran. With the UFC swallowing Strikeforce, it could be even more difficult in the future for Bellator to pit quality opposition against Alvarez. His plan is to impress against Curran and whoever else climbs the promotion’s ranks for a title shot.
“As long as I feel that they’re doing everything in their power to acquire the talent that they can acquire, then I can’t ask any more of them,” Alvarez said. “Whoever they put in front of me, I gotta dominate and I got to do it in a fashion that’s going to make people believe I’m ranked where I’m supposed to be at and I am one of the top lightweights in the world.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:19:20).
Reader comments are active below. Chime in with an opinion or thought by signing in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Yahoo! account.
“That makes me a little nervous because they just got too much money to be able to throw out there and buy up,” Alvarez (Pictured) said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “For right now, there’s nothing I can do. They’re just buying everything. Hopefully Bellator just stays with the don’t-sell agreement and we’re able to stay on MTV2 for the next couple of years and get my name out there to the millions of fans watching.”
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“It all has to do with me being able to capitalize financially as much as I can while I’m in this sport,” he said. “The only way to do that is to build yourself. Some of these guys who are going into the UFC, they have no leverage. They have zero, zero leverage. They’re not an asset to the company yet. They basically have no leverage to be able to say to a company, ‘Hey, I want this much and I feel that’s what I’m worth.’ UFC is going to laugh at them and say, ‘No, you are nothing without us.’”
Alvarez, who’s known for bringing a loyal fan base with him to his
fights, never wants to negotiate with a company without feeling he
has some bargaining power.
“I want to have some sort of leverage to say, ‘Look, I understand what you’re able to bring me, but look what I can bring you.’ I think that’s important,” he said. “More than anything, I just want to build myself and my brand and be an asset to a company rather than be disposable at any point.”
Alvarez also joked that when he heard about the UFC buying Strikeforce, his immediate thought was to buy some stock in Bellator. The more he talked about it, the less he seemed to be joking. With that said, though, Alvarez sounds happy with Bellator.
The company’s lightweight champion, he defends his title April 2 against Pat Curran. With the UFC swallowing Strikeforce, it could be even more difficult in the future for Bellator to pit quality opposition against Alvarez. His plan is to impress against Curran and whoever else climbs the promotion’s ranks for a title shot.
“As long as I feel that they’re doing everything in their power to acquire the talent that they can acquire, then I can’t ask any more of them,” Alvarez said. “Whoever they put in front of me, I gotta dominate and I got to do it in a fashion that’s going to make people believe I’m ranked where I’m supposed to be at and I am one of the top lightweights in the world.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:19:20).
Reader comments are active below. Chime in with an opinion or thought by signing in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Yahoo! account.
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