The UFC president spoke to the media recently and made it clear that re-signing the former 155lb champion Eddie Alvarez isn’t exactly a massive priority for the UFC.

UFC Calgary’s main-event headliner between Dustin Poirier and Alvarez was a well-received, albeit controversial, second encounter between two of the most game fighters in the UFC.

There was a reset by referee Marc Goddard just prior to the eventual victor Poirier’s TKO finish in the second-round where he deprived Eddie of a dominant position after he threw an illegal 12-6 elbow which caught Dustin on the shoulder.

It was an understandable decision by the veteran ref but also one that saw him catch quite a bit of criticism.

For Eddie Alvarez, it was a call that could well have dire consequences for his future as a UFC fighter. That was the final matchup on his current contract and if this brief negotiations update we received from Dana White is anything to go by, the promotion might be considering letting him venture into free-agency.

Speaking on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, White made it clear that he would understand if Alvarez chose to sign a deal elsewhere – something that could and should be interpreted as him admitting they aren’t willing to pay him what he wants.

“I like Eddie Alvarez. I like him personally, and I like him professionally. He’s at an age now where he needs to make some decisions for his family and for what will probably be the last contract he signs for the rest of his career.

“I’m in a place if Eddie wants to go somewhere else and try it, I’m cool with that. If Eddie wants to stay, I’d keep him here too.

“I told him that. I told him, ‘Listen, if you want to finish your career with me I would like that. If you want to finish your career somewhere else, I have no problem with that either, man.’ When guys get to the point where it’s the last contract they’ll ever sign, I understand.

“At the end of the day, what we’re looking for here are young guys that want to be world champions. Young guys that know they can be a world champion in the UFC. Or girls that know they can be a world champion in the UFC.

“If you feel that you can’t be and you feel there’s a better decision you can make at this point in your career for the last contract you’ll ever sign, I absolutely understand that.”

His options include returning to Bellator, testing himself in PFL, or venturing over to Asia to sign with RIZIN or ONE Championship.

Wherever he goes, if he does, he will for sure be missed under the bright lights of the UFC.

Cillian Cunningham, Pundit Arena

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