The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made a big splash this week by signing former Bellator MMA 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez.
Newly signed Bellator president Scott Coker granted Alvarez an unconditional release from his contract, which still had one fight left on it. After a heated legal dispute that kept Alvarez out of action for the majority of 2013, Coker decided enough was enough and left Alvarez to go fight the best of the best in the Octagon.
He was promptly booked against surging No. 4-ranked Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the co-main event of September 27’s UFC 178 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, signifying the UFC’s willingness to fast-track him towards a title shot.
And while Alvarez may be one of the best lightweights in the world, there’s no guarantee that he’ll find success in the UFC, and his only version of success is holding the championship. He’ll have to take on a murderer’s row of opponents in what is one of the most stacked divisions in MMA right now.
Let’s take a look at five reasons why Alvarez might not deliver on his massive hype in the UFC.
