Photo via ONE Championship press release
Eddie Alvarez to return on ONE on TNT 4, opponent to be determined
Eddie Alvarez is making a quick return.
After Alvarez suffered a controversial DQ loss to Iuri Lapicus at ONE on TNT 1, he called for the result to be overturned. There was a ton of controversy surrounding the finish and according to the promotions CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, the finish is under review.
“Factually there were illegal blows, factually the referee did give two warnings,” Chatri Sityodtong said about Alvarez’s DQ loss to SCMP MMA. “But factually I can also say the DQ is under review. Eddie and his team asked for a review and so the whole committee are voting on it based on the footage, and hopefully, we’ll have the results of the review over the next several days.”
Although Alvarez was made at the result, the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion is set to make a quick turnaround. According to the boss, Alvarez will return at ONE on TNT 4 on April 29. However, his opponent is not known yet.
“Yes, if Eddie said that. Did he say that? If he said that, then yes, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Chatri said. “He is coming back to Singapore in short order, he will be fighting on ONE on TNT 4 and his opponent will be determined.”
Why his opponent is not known is due to the fact ONE on TNT 3 is tape-delayed and he will face the winner of Marat Gafurov and Ok Rae-yoon. Gafurov is ranked fifth and is the former featherweight champ. For Sityodtong, he says this is the best option as it still gives Alvarez a chance to break into the top-five of the rankings.
“He’s [Alvarez] gonna fight the No 5-ranked lightweight contender, because Marat Gafurov is No 5 and he faces Ok Rae-yoon, and the winner of that match will take on Eddie Alvarez, so Eddie still has a shot at breaking into the top five rankings,” the CEO concluded.
