Eddie Alvarez is free
Scott Coker: “We granted Eddie his unconditional release this morning. Eddie is free to explore the free-agent market. We wish him the best in the future.”
Eddie Alvarez engaged in a bitter, protracted, and ultimately losing legal battle with Bellator MMA CEO Bjorn Rebney, following Alvarez’s attempt to move to the UFC when his Bellator contract expired.
The issue centered on Bellator’s right to match any contract Alvarez was offered. The UFC contract offered points on a PPV. Bellator rewrote the UFC contract word for word, a seemingly perfect match. However, Alvarez argued that the word for word contract was not in fact identical, as Bellator had never done a PPV.
Bellator countered that they planned a PPV, and in fact eventually did one, although Alvarez suffered a concussion, and was unable to fight in it.
In the end, the legal case extended far into 2014, and the peak years of Alvarez’s fight career were being spent renovating houses, so he signed a new contract with Bellator.
Now Rebney is out, and new CEO Scott Coker has granted Alvarez and unconditional release. Alvarez will vacate Bellator’s 155 lb title.
“We granted Eddie his unconditional release this morning,” Coker told Brett Okamoto for ESPN.com. “Eddie is free to explore the free-agent market. We wish him the best in the future.”
“After sitting down with him and getting to know him, it was just a very hurtful situation for him. I think the damage was already done. It became clear there was a wall there, and it was not directed at me.
“They just made it clear the damage was done.”
Alavarez offered a statement that was characteristically free of spite.
“This was a long process but it’s a decision that everyone seems happy with,” said Alvarez said. “I think it’s important to say that I am genuinely thankful for the time at Bellator. I know that sounds a little crazy given everything I went through, but I’ve fought there since 2009 and have been involved in some really amazing fights.
“The staff there always treated me great and I’m going to miss seeing a lot of those familiar faces around for sure. Myself and my team had some really good discussions with Scott, but in my heart I knew I was ready to move on and start the next chapter of my career.”