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| Eddie Alvarez Bio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Courtesy: Bellator.com Release: 02/19/2010 |
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Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez is an elite competitor, ranked as the No. 3 pound-for-pound lightweight in the world, according to most news outlets. Known for his impeccable speed and endurance, Alvarez has developed an excellent ground game to complement his insurmountable striking ability.
In April 2009, Alvarez headlined the debut event for Bellator Fighting Championships in Hollywood, FL. Entering the tournament as a favorite to win it all, Alvarez’s first Lightweight tournament opponent was Greg Loughran, a top MMA prospect with an impeccable reach advantage from Northern Ireland. After a brief knockdown scare in the first round, Alvarez was able to lure Loughran into a Guillotine Choke Submission at 2:44 to advance to next round of tournament competition.
Entering into the Lightweight semi-finals, Alvarez’s opponent was the heavy-handed striker, Eric Reynolds. Beginning on fairly even ground with each fighter exchanging punches and maneuvering for positioning, Alvarez abruptly ended the match in the third round when he locked in a Rear Naked Choke at 1:30. With the win over Reynolds, Alvarez advanced to the Bellator Lightweight World Championship bout.
On June 19, Alvarez met up with Lightweight sensation Toby Imada at Bellator XII in Hollywood, FL. Imada entered the cage fresh from his stunning inverted triangle choke submission against Lightweight tournament favorite Jorge Masvidal at Bellator V. Alvarez ultimately locked up the first-ever Bellator Lightweight World Championship title at 0:38 into the second round after capturing Imada with a Rear Naked Choke submission. Shocking his fans, the win was the third consecutive submission victory for Alvarez, a fighter known predominately for powerful striking ability. Alvarez claimed a purse of $175,000 and will await the No. 1 contender to emerge from the season two tournament to defend his coveted title as Bellator Lightweight World Champion.
Alvarez was born and raised in Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood notorious for being overrun with drugs, gangs and violence. To ensure his son's safety, his father made sure he knew how to fight; he spent hours guiding his hands and hips to show him how to deliver the most power into a punch. At a young age, Alvarez took those lessons to the streets where he toted around two pairs of boxing gloves and challenged older children to fight. These battles took place in crowded city streets where the only breaks in action came when a car drove by or someone got knocked out. Like Rocky Balboa, another Philadelphia native, Alvarez gained respect by beating much larger opponents.
While Alvarez was always a fighter, it wasn't until he discovered wrestling in high school that he became an athlete. Twice named an All-American as a Northeast Catholic High School wrestler, the sport instilled in him his signature drive and work ethic. After his high school graduation, Alvarez competed in bars throughout Pennsylvania.
Despite several members of the MMA community's insistence that Alvarez was too small to fight at 170, he thrived when facing larger opponents. Eddie remained undefeated until April 2007, when Nick “The Goat” Thompson, a UFC veteran won via TKO. The loss prompted a move down to Lightweight (155 lb.), where Alvarez won five straight bouts and firmly established himself as a top contender on the Lightweight world stage.
Alvarez currently trains out of Fight Factory in Kensington, PA., where he resides with his wife and two kids; Eddie Jr. and Anthony.
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