Eddie Alvarez Back in One Championship Lightweight Grand Prix

Former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez is in the semifinals of One Championship’s lightweight grand prix despite losing in the opening round.

The American was knocked out by Timofey Nastyukhin in the first round of the bracket on March 31, but Nastyukhin has suffered an injury and has been forced to pull out of the tournament. As a result, Alvarez’s bout vs. former lightweight king Eduard Folayang has become a semi-final matchup, the Singapore-based promotion announced on Monday.

Alvarez vs. Folayang was not expected to be part of the tournament. The two will fight at One “Dawn of Heroes” on Aug. 2.

Folayang relinquished his lightweight crown to Shinya Aoki at One “A New Era” on March 31 to fall to 21-7 as a pro. Alvarez, meanwhile, is on a two-fight losing streak after losing his One Championship debut and his final UFC fight against Dustin Poirier.

One “Dawn of Heroes” takes place at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, and also features Demetrious Johnson’s second fight in the promotion’s flyweight grand prix.