Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC Champion Reacts To PFL's Growing Brand & Purchase Of Bellator: 'I'm Not A Company Man!'

Originally posted on MMA News | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated 11/24/23

Before there was constant talk of competition to the UFC and fighters having more options to make money, one man was making that happen for himself.

Eddie Alvarez earned the nickname of "The Underground King" by collecting titles in promotions outside of the UFC, where all the best fighters were believed to be.

As the promotion's inaugural lightweight champion, he helped put Bellator on the map in really establishing its name as a place fans shouldn't overlook. He finally proved that his moniker had real truth behind it by winning the UFC lightweight title back in 2016 before eventually making his way to ONE Championship.

Now, Alvarez is happy to see that there are more options for fighters to make a living after he was way ahead of the curve in looking out for himself first and foremost.

Alvarez Admits He Has Never Been A 'Company Man'

With the recent news regarding the PFL's acquisition of Bellator, Alvarez gave his thoughts on the deal, which promotes something he is very passionate about.

Alvarez told MiddleEasy that he is behind anything that helps to make the career of a fighter easier given how difficult and uncertain a path it can be.

"I love seeing news like that, I love seeing news that helps the fighter make a better living. Fighting is a difficult life and it's a difficult life just the job itself. It's nerve-wracking, you're scared a lot of the time, you don't know when the next check's coming or if you're injured, it's very uncertain. So, a fighter relies a lot on faith and hope to get by because there's not a lot of great stories in fighting."

He is specifically happy to see another promotion offering a viable alternative to the UFC, giving the fighters the power to make the best move for their own careers.

"Anything outside of the the big 500-pound gorilla in the UFC, anything outside of that that's building an organization and being able to possibly compete at some point, is great for the fighters and I've always been for the fighters. I'm not necessarily a company man, I've never been. I'll always be for the fighters so when a promotion like that can build itself and pay fighters, I love it."

Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.

This article first appeared on MMA News and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: