Former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has been released from his Bellator contract and has signed with the UFC to fight Don Cerrone at UFC 178, sources confirmed.
The move signifies Bellator’s new direction under former Strikeforce president Scott Coker, who took over Bellator’s operations last month.
Before Coker, former Bellator president and founder Bjorn Rebney was known to turn contract disputes into dogfights, often leaving fighters in a position where they wanted to leave the promotion for UFC, but Rebney turned them down at every chance they got.
Rumors of Alvarez’s move to UFC were rampant for years. Many saw him as Bellator’s answer to UFC’s Frankie Edgar, only with a lot more punching power.
With Alvarez now signed on to fight “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 178, it’s clear the contentious days of Rebney’s Bellator are over, and the Coker era may promise smoother relations between Bellator and UFC, the top two promotions in the MMA game.
UFC 178 takes place Sept. 27 in Las Vegas.