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MMA

11th Jul 2017

Eddie Alvarez accepts fight offer that everyone wants to see

Not a super fight, but it's as close as you're going to get

Ben Kiely

Eddie Alvarez

Eddie Alvarez already has a fight lined up that makes way more sense, but Christ!

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has unfinished business with Dustin Poirier.

The two warriors’ epic battle at UFC 211 was cruelly cut short by some illegal knees from ‘the Underground King’, but prior to that point, it was on course to be the standout fight of the year.

Instead of a decisive result, fans were left wanting by a disappointing No Contest, but the promise of a rematch had them salivating. However, Alvarez (28-5-1NC, 3-2-1NC UFC) has received a fight offer that he simply couldn’t ignore.

The UFC’s hottest new talent Justin Gaethje (18-0, 1-0 UFC) dazzled fans with his stunning promotional debut against Michael Johnson at UFC 213. The undefeated knockout artist has a huge target on his back after the fight, but on Monday’s MMA Hour he stated his preferred opponent.

“Eddie Alvarez is in front of me. He’s number three.”

“I want to fight the best in the world. I want to fight Eddie Alvarez. Nothing would make me more happy than to challenge that guy and get beat up by him or beat him up.”

While it’s not technically a super fight, it’s about as close as you’re ging to get. No fighter has been able to defeat former WSOF champion Gaethje, while Alvarez has won a belt in pretty much every promotion he’s ever fought in.

Both fighters also have an unusual infatuation with violence, willing to bite down on the mouthpiece, step into the fire and swing until the lights go out. The running joke with Alvarez before he lost his UFC title was that he doesn’t really come into his own until he gets rocked. And the world saw at UFC 213 how Gaethje responds when he gets hurt.

No wonder why Alvarez was so willing to accept the offer.

Five rounds please, just in case.