Eddie Alvarez officially signs with ONE Championship

Free agent Eddie Alvarez has officially signed with ONE Championship.

The promotion’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, confirmed the original report from MMA Brasil with a video of Alvarez inking his name onto his new contract.

“The moment of truth has arrived,” said Alvarez in the video. “I know you’ve heard the rumors. They’re true. We got our contract from [ONE Championship] and we’re all signed up…This couldn’t have went any smoother. It didn’t take too long, everyone is happy and I’m super excited. The Underground King is coming to ONE.”

“I am thrilled to announce that multiple-time world champion Eddie Alvarez will be joining ONE Championship on a multiple-bout contract. Eddie is one of the world’s best martial artists in the world, and is no doubt a tremendous addition to the ONE roster,” Sityodtong stated in a release. “The ONE Championship roster is incredibly deep with talents such as Shinya Aoki, Eduard Folayang, and Amir Khan, among others. I am excited to have Eddie in that mix and to see some amazing matchups and performances. This is no doubt one of the biggest athlete signings in the history of ONE Championship.”

Alvarez (29-6) has been with the UFC since 2014. His contract came to an end following his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier to in July.

The 34-year-old brings with him one of the most most impressive résumés in mixed martial arts history.

During his run in the UFC, the self-proclaimed “Most Violent Fighter” scored victories over former champions Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Justin Gaethje. His time with the promotion peaked when fans saw him dethrone reigning lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos with a violent first-round TKO in 2016. He would however drop his title to Conor McGregor in their highly-promoted fight at UFC 205 later that year.

Prior to signing with the UFC, Alvarez reigned atop Bellator’s 155-pound division after winning its inaugural lightweight tournament in 2009. During this run, Alvarez earned victories over Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Pat Curran and Roger Huerta while avenging previous losses to Michael Chandlerand Shinya Aoki. Alvarez later vacated the Bellator title after signing with the UFC.

The Philadelphia native also earned championships during his time with BodogFight, Reality Fighting and Mixed Fighting Championships