Edward "Eddie" Alvarez (born January 11, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight (170 lb) division of

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

. He also formerly competed in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, winning world titles in each: the

UFC Lightweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

once and the

Bellator Lightweight World Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

twice. Alvarez was the first Lightweight champion in Bellator MMA. He has also competed for the Japanese

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

promotion, where he fought in their inaugural Lightweight Grand Prix. Alvarez also fought once for

ProElite ProElite, Inc. is an American entertainment and media company involved in the promotion of mixed martial arts (MMA). First incarnation Founded by boxing promoter Gary Shaw and his son Jared in 2006 in partnership with Showtime Networks Inc. (a C ...

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

. Alvarez is the first fighter to have won championships in both

and the UFC. He holds notable wins over former world champions Pat Curran,

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Ex ...

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwe ...

Justin Gaethje Justin Ray Gaethje (; born November 14, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As o ...

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of th ...

Eduard Folayang Eduard Folayang (born November 22, 1983) is a Filipino mixed martial artist and wushu practitioner who fights in ONE Championship, where he is a two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion. He also competed for Universal Reality Comba ...

and

Rafael dos Anjos Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born October 26, 1984) is a Brazilian American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Light ...

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on thi ...

ranks him #3 ''All-Time Lightweight'' in the world (behind

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

and B.J. Penn).

Background

Edward, the son of Louis and Lillian Alvarez, grew up in

Kensington, Philadelphia Kensington, colloquially known locally as “Kenzo,” is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the b ...

and is of Puerto Rican and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. He started boxing at Front Street Gym at the age of eight under his father and Frank Kubach. At the age of 11, Alvarez started wrestling in a youth wrestling program. He went to

Northeast Catholic High School Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

, excelling and becoming a varsity letterman in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. Despite receiving partial scholarship offers to wrestle in various colleges after graduating in 2001, he decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. Eddie has a younger brother, Albert, who is a former mixed martial artist.

Mixed martial arts career

Alvarez claims to have fought over 100 unsanctioned bouts before starting as a professional fighter as there were no amateur fights available. He paid $250 for a slot in Ring of Combat 5 to start his professional mixed martial arts career in 2003. Alvarez won the MFC Welterweight Championship in his seventh professional fight in June 2006, when he defeated Derrick Noble via KO at 1:01 of the first round. The MFC Welterweight Championship would later be re-branded the BodogFIGHT Welterweight Championship. In spite of the fact that many insiders did not consider 170 pounds to be Alvarez's best competitive fighting weight, he continued to fight larger opponents, as he relished testing his mettle against bigger fighters. At Bodog Fight's "Clash of the Nations" pay per view in Russia on April 14, 2007, Alvarez's size disadvantage would be exposed, as he suffered his first career loss when he was TKO'd by UFC veteran Nick Thompson at 4:32 into round 2. After deciding to leave Bodog, Alvarez signed with EliteXC. He competed in their 160-pound division against Ross Ebanez, winning by TKO. A few weeks prior to the first event, it was announced that the Japanese promotion

, started by the minds behind

PRIDE FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

and K-1 had signed Alvarez to compete in their 154-pound grand prix. His first fight was against Andre Amade, who hailed from the Chute Boxe Academy. Alvarez won via TKO due to strikes late in the first round. Alvarez advanced to the second round of the tournament, where he defeated top-ranked Lightweight fighter Joachim Hansen on May 11, 2008, by

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...

. In his fight at the Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round, Alvarez knocked out top-ranked Lightweight fighter

Tatsuya Kawajiri is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, and has also competed in the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Strikeforce, ONE FC, and Rizin Fighting Federation. Kawajiri also partic ...

in the tournament's semi-finals. The fight was awarded Fight of the Year by

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

for 2008. However, he was unable to advance in the tournament due to a cut and severe swelling under his right eye. Alvarez's replacement was Joachim Hansen, whom he defeated two months earlier. Hansen went on to win the tournament and capture the DREAM lightweight title. Alvarez was scheduled to face UFC and PRIDE veteran

Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champion ...

for the EliteXC 160 pound title on November 8, 2008. However, the fight was canceled when EliteXC's parent

filed for bankruptcy. On New Year's Eve 2008, Alvarez fought

at K-1

Dynamite!! 2008 ''Dynamite!! 2008'' was the annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 & DREAM on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2008, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It featured eleven DREAM mixed martial arts rules fights ...

, losing by submission in the first round. He was subsequently signed to an exclusive contract with

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

Bellator Fighting Championships

Alvarez entered Bellator's lightweight tournament at Bellator's inaugural event on April 3, 2009. He fought Northern Irishman Greg Loughran, whom he submitted with a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

. His next fight at the tournament's semi-finals took place four weeks later at

Bellator 5 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

, against Eric Reynolds. After controlling the bout for two rounds, Alvarez used a rear-naked choke to submit Reynolds in the third. Alvarez advanced to the lightweight tournament's finals, which took place at

Bellator 12 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

on June 19, 2009. He fought and defeated

Toby Imada Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

, via a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

submission early in the second round, to become Bellator's first ever lightweight champion. Alvarez faced

Josh Neer Joshua Martin Neer (born March 24, 1983) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2003, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL, and Shark Fights. Ne ...

in a non-title "Super fight" on May 6, 2010, at

Bellator 17 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight, Lightweigh ...

, in which he defeated Neer via rear-naked choke at 2:08 of round 2. Alvarez was supposed to fight the Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Winner Pat Curran in a defense of his title, but his opponent was pulled from the card due to an injury in his right shoulder. He instead faced

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

Bellator 33 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

held in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won the fight via TKO (doctor stoppage) between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Alvarez then publicly stated that he wanted his next fight to be against the

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

Lightweight Champion,

. Alvarez defeated Pat Curran on April 2, 2011, via unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) to retain the Bellator Lightweight Championship at

Bellator 39 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

. Alvarez faced

on November 19, 2011, at

Bellator 58 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: We ...

in what was called by many publications as the '2011 Fight of the Year'. He was defeated by Chandler by rear naked choke in the fourth round. Chandler came in very aggressive in the first round, nearly finishing Alvarez. Alvarez faced

in a rematch at

Bellator 66 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Alvarez faced

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champi ...

at Bellator 76, and defeated Freire in the first round via KO. This was the last fight on Alvarez's contract with Bellator and he passed the organization's contractual period of exclusive negotiation. Alvarez agreed in principle to signing with the UFC, reportedly including a share of pay-per-view revenue in addition to show and win money. Bellator, however, invoked a clause in the original contract to match the UFC's offer and re-sign Alvarez, matching the show and win purse and alleging that the pay-per-view cut in the UFC's offer to be strictly hypothetical. Alvarez and his management subsequently filed two lawsuits against Bellator. On August 13, 2013, it was announced that Alvarez and Bellator had reached an agreement regarding his contract status. Alvarez faced

on November 2, 2013, at

Bellator 106 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He won via split decision in a close fight to become the Bellator Lightweight Champion for the second time. Much like the first time they met, Alvarez and Chandler engaged in another highly praised, back and forth battle. In the early rounds, Alvarez's jab and punching combinations found their home, damaging the left eye of Chandler, while Chandler was able to land multiple take down attempts and slams, and threatened a rear naked choke. The third round saw Eddie land with some crisp combinations. In the fourth round, Chandler landed a flying knee and some brutal ground and pound which hurt Eddie. By the fifth round, both fighters were busted up and bleeding badly. Chandler caught Alvarez in a neck crank, but Alvarez escaped and nearly finished the fight two times with rear-naked choke attempts. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney called the fight the best he'd ever seen. The decision was not without some controversy, with several media outlets scoring the fight for Chandler. Rebney stated in the post fight press conference that the two would meet again in a rubber match, possibly on pay-per-view, once they both have recuperated. A third fight with

was set up for the main event of

Bellator 120 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

on May 17, 2014. However, a week before the fight, it was announced that Alvarez had suffered a concussion and was forced to pull out of the fight. In August 2014, new Bellator MMA president

Scott Coker Scott Coker (born October 3, 1962) is an American mixed martial artist, Taekwondoin, former movie stuntman, and combat sports promoter. He is the founder and former CEO of MMA promotion Strikeforce and the current President of Bellator MMA. Bac ...

announced that Alvarez had been released from his contract with the promotion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On August 19, 2014, the UFC announced that they had signed Alvarez to a contract. He made his promotional debut against fan favorite and top contender

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...

in the co-main event at

UFC 178 ''UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso'' was a mixed martial arts event held on September 27, 2014, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was supposed to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch bet ...

on September 27, 2014. Despite absorbing several flurries of clinch strikes from Alvarez through the first round, Cerrone recovered from a slow start and ended up controlling the rest of the fight with leg kicks that eventually hurt Alvarez. Alvarez lost the fight via a unanimous decision. Alvarez was expected to face

Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their Lightweight division. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of Novembe ...

on January 18, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 59 ''UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 59'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 18, 2015, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between ...

. However, Alvarez pulled out of the bout and was replaced by

. Alvarez faced

on June 13, 2015, at

UFC 188 ''UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 13, 2015, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between then champio ...

. Alvarez won the fight by split decision. Alvarez faced

on January 17, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 81 ''UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 81'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 17, 2016, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between defending ...

. Despite being a heavy underdog going into the fight Alvarez was able to pressure and control Pettis. Alvarez won the fight by split decision.

UFC Lightweight Champion

In his fourth UFC fight, Alvarez faced

on July 7, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 90 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 90'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 7, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was the first of three events in as man ...

for the

. Despite being a three-to-one underdog going into the fight, Alvarez found his range early and rocked dos Anjos with a right hand just past the halfway point of the first round. He then swarmed dos Anjos and landed a barrage of unanswered punches before the fight was stopped via TKO. The win also earned Alvarez his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Alvarez made his first title defense against the then UFC Featherweight Champion

Conor McGregor Conor Anthony McGregor ( ga, Conchúr Antóin Mac Gréagóir; born 14 July 1988) is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He is the first ...

on November 12, 2016, at

UFC 205 ''UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In what was described by UFC president Dana White as ...

in Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a historic event for the UFC as it was the first UFC event in New York since the lifting of the state's long-standing ban on MMA. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round, after being outstruck in the first round.

Post-championship

In his first fight after losing the Lightweight title, Alvarez faced

Dustin Poirier Dustin Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As of May 9, 2022, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of October 24, 2022, he is #11 in the U ...

on May 13, 2017, at

UFC 211 ''UFC 211: Miocic vs. dos Santos 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 13, 2017, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the UFC has host ...

. Poirier rocked Alvarez in the second round, but was subsequently dropped when Alvarez landed two illegal knees while Poirier was against the fence. With the Texas commission not operating under the new unified rules, referee Herb Dean declared the fight a No Contest as he did not believe Alvarez knew Poirier was a grounded opponent at the time. In July 2017, it was announced that Alvarez would be a coach on ''

The Ultimate Fighter 26 ''The Ultimate Fighter 26'' (also known as '' The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion'') is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Tryouts were announced on May ...

'' against former WSOF Lightweight Champion

. A bout with Gaethje took place on December 2, 2017, at

UFC 218 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Alvarez won the fight via knockout in the third round. The fight earned both participants the Fight of the Night bonus award. In the last fight of his UFC contract, Alvarez faced

on July 28, 2018, in a rematch in the main event at

UFC on Fox 30 ''UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Background Th ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

ONE Championship

On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Alvarez signed with

, set to make his promotional debut some time in early 2019 as part of their Lightweight division. On November 7, 2018, it was announced that Alvarez would be one of eight participants in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. On December 19, 2018, it was announced that Alvarez faced

Timofey Nastyukhin Timofey Nastyukhin (Russian: Тимофей Настюхин; born on November 24, 1989), is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is a former FILA Pankration world champion. He made his MMA debut in 2010 and currently competes in ONE Championship ...

at ONE Championship: A New Era on March 31, 2019 in promotion's inaugural event in Japan. He lost the fight by TKO in the first round. Alvarez returned at ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes on August 2, 2019 against former ONE lightweight champion

. He won the fight via first round rear-naked choke after being dropped by a leg kick early in the round. Alvarez was expected to face Saygid Arslaniev in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix final, but on September 26, 2019, news surfaced that he had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury. He was replaced by ONE Lightweight Champion Christian Lee. The bout with Arslaniev was to be rebooked for ONE Infinity 2 on 26 June 2020, but cancelled due to the

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to the worldwide sporting calendar since World War II. Across the world and to varying degrees, sports events have been cancelled or postponed. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo w ...

. Alvarez faced former ONE lightweight title challenger Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1 on April 7, 2021. The event took place in Singapore and aired in a

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

slot in the United States on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

. He was disqualified after repeatedly throwing punches to the back of Lapicus's head. The call to disqualify Alvarez was considered controversial by multiple outlets and professional fighters as it appeared he was striking Lapicus's ear before Lapicus started turning his head. Alvarez appealed the final decision and the result was later overturned to a no contest. Three weeks after his last bout, Alvarez faced Ok Rae Yoon at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28, 2021. He lost a close bout via unanimous decision. On September 21, 2022, it was announced that Alvarez had agreed to be released from his contract with ONE Championship.

Personal life

Eddie married his high school sweetheart, Jamie, in 2008, and they have three sons and a daughter. Alvarez utilized his financial success to move his family out of

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

and into

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

following the birth of his first son, Eddie Jr. Alvarez made two appearances on the television show

Bully Beatdown ''Bully Beatdown'' is an American reality television series created by Mark Burnett which aired on MTV. In each episode, show host Jason "Mayhem" Miller challenged bullies to fight against a professional mixed martial artist for a chance to win ...

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, where he knocked out both of his opponents.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

*National Prep School Wrestling Championships **National Prep All-American (2000, 2001)

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(One time) **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) *

(Two times; First) ***One successful title defense ** Bellator Season 1 Lightweight Tournament Winner *BodogFIGHT **BodogFIGHT Welterweight Championship (One time; First) *Mixed Fighting Championships **MFC Welterweight Championship (One time; First; Last; Only) *Reality Fighting **Reality Fighting Welterweight Championship (One time; First) *FIGHT! Magazine **2008 Fight of the Year vs. Joachim Hansen on May 11 *

Inside MMA ''Inside MMA'' was a live mixed martial arts news magazine, which aired on AXS TV, immediately following the network's live AXS TV Fights broadcasts. Hosted by Mauro Ranallo and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, the series provided an in-depth lo ...

**2008 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award vs. Joachim Hansen on May 11 *FightBooth.com **2012 King of Violence Award * fightmatrix.com **Lineal MMA Lightweight Championship (Two times) *

** 2008 Fight of the Year vs.

on July 21 *

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

**2008 Round of the Year vs.

on July 21 *

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...

**2011 Fight of the Year vs.

on November 19 *MMADNA.nl **2017 Fight of the Year vs.

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

**2015 Comeback of the Year vs.

**2017 Fight of the Year vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 30–8 (2) , Ok Rae Yoon , Decision (unanimous) , ONE on TNT 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , NC , align=center, 30–7 (2) , Iuri Lapicus , NC (overturned) , ONE on TNT 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 30–7 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–7 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , ONE Championship: A New Era , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:05 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–6 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 29–5 (1) ,

, KO (knee) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:28 ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 28–5 (1) ,

, NC (illegal knees) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–5 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:04 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–4 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–4 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–3 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–3 , Patricky Pitbull , KO (head kick) , Bellator 76 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:54 , Windsor, Ontario, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 23–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 , Cleveland, Ohio, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:06 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–2 , Pat Curran , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Uncasville, Connecticut, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 ,

, Technical Submission (standing rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:08 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 , Katsunori Kikuno , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Dream 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:42 , Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Eric Reynolds , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:30 , Dayton, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Greg Loughran , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , Dynamite!! 2008, Fields Dynamite!! 2008 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:35 , Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Joachim Hansen , Decision (unanimous) , Dream 3, Dream 3: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Andre Amade , TKO (punches) , Dream 1, Dream 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:47 , Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Ross Ebañez , KO (punches) , 2008 in Elite Xtreme Combat#ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Matt Lee , Decision (unanimous) , BodogFight: Alvarez vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Trenton, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 , Nick Thompson , TKO (punches) , BodogFight: Clash of the Nations , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:32 , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Scott Henze , TKO (corner stoppage) , BodogFight: Costa Rica Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 , Playa Tambor, Costa Rica , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Aaron Riley , KO (punches) , BodogFight: USA vs. Russia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 , Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Hidenobu Koike , TKO (punches) , MARS 4: New Deal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Derrick Noble , KO (punches) , MFC: Russia vs. USA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Daisuke Hanazawa , TKO (punches) , Euphoria: USA vs. Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Danil Veselov , TKO (punches) , Euphoria: USA vs. Russia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:15 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Seichi Ikemoto , TKO (punches) , Euphoria: USA vs. The World , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:25 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Chris Schlesinger , Submission (guillotine choke) , Reality Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Adam Fearon , TKO (submission to punches) , Ring of Combat 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Anthony Ladonna , KO (punch) , Ring of Combat 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:57 , Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States ,

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Eddie 1984 births Living people American people of Irish descent American people of Puerto Rican descent American male mixed martial artists Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople Mixed martial artists from Pennsylvania Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator MMA champions Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu