Ever since the frustrating conclusion of Eddie Alvarez vs Dustin Poirier, a rematch has been eagerly anticipated.
The first time Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier threw down, it was on course to be the fight of the year. Poirier had the better of the earlier exchanges and looked close to finishing ‘the Underground King’. However, Alvarez dug deep, ripped ‘the Diamond’s body and appeared to be getting momentum.
Then, it was all over in an incredibly unsatisfactory way. Alvarez scored a takedown against the fence and went for a choke. Failing that, he began firing knees to the dome. Several of these were illegal as both Poirier’s hand and knee were on the mat when they landed. Poirier slumped to the mat face-first when the last one landed flush.
Herb Dean was forced to stop it once Poirier said that his vision had become blurry. He concluded that Alvarez, whose eye had become pretty swollen, wasn’t able to see where his opponent’s hands were and therefore didn’t know he was committing a foul. It went down on their records as a ‘No Contest’.
Here's the illegal knee. Clearly illegal. Alvarez couldn't see the hand down #UFC211 pic.twitter.com/vFHXkyJs0X
— #Dizz (@TalkMMA) May 14, 2017
Running it back
Poirier has been consistently calling for a rematch since UFC 211. However, the UFC had other plans for Alvarez. After that fight, Alvarez coached opposite Justin Gaethje in the Ultimate Fighter and then proceeded to hand the former WSOF champ his first ever knockout loss.
In the meantime, Poirier has scored consecutive knockout victories against former 155 lb king Anthony Pettis and Gaethje. The last win thrust Poirier into title contention, but that picture is blurry. Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor is expected to be the next title fight which would leave the rest of the contenders waiting.
Well, Alvarez finally accepted the offer to fight Poirier again, this time in Calgary at the end of July. After so many weeks of Poirier hounding him for the do-over, he appeared to make the announcement on Twitter.
See you in Calgary @DustinPoirier best of luck my friend 👊🏻@ufc
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) May 10, 2018
Hold your horses
Six days before Alvarez’s tweet, Poirier sent out a very significant tweet. After becoming fed up with Alvarez dragging his feet, Poirier set a deadline for the contract to be signed.
Today's the deadline for the fight offer. If anyone sees Edward Alvarez please give him a pen to sign the contract.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) May 4, 2018
It seems as though there was a little more to that tweet from Poirier than just an attempt to pressure Alvarez into putting pen to paper. As Brett Okamoto of ESPN is reporting, Poirier is not happy with how long Alzarez took to accept the offer. As of right now, there is no fight.
Hold the phone on Alvarez, Poirier 2 … I'm told this deadline was not for show. Dustin is not happy about how long this has taken and how it's continued to hold up his life. As of this moment, his side is telling me there is "1,000 percent" no fight right now. https://t.co/bq1vF0u8Yn
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 10, 2018
According to Poirier's reps, he agreed to Alvarez rematch the minute it was proposed, despite lingering injuries, a family vacation and paid appearances this summer, but told UFC he'd seen Alvarez not sign before and if the deal wasn't done by last week, he was out.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 10, 2018
Why MMA Gods? Why do you make us endure CM Punk vs Mike Jackson, but don’t grant us Poirier vs Alvarez II?
