Eddie Alvarez sees irony in his re-entry into ONE Championship grand prix

Eleven years after being forced out of the DREAM lightweight grand prix, Eddie Alvarez believes karma has made up for his lost opportunity.

In 2008, Alvarez (29-7) competed in the DREAM lightweight grand prix. After running through three straight opponents, “The Underground King” was disqualified due to an eye injury prior to the finals.

After losing to Timofey Nastyukhin in his ONE Championship debut in the opening round of the lightweight grand prix, Alvarez is now back in the tournament. Nastyukhin was unable to advance to the semifinals due to injury, so Alvarez was selected by the promotion to replace him.

On Friday, Alvarez will look to take advantage of the opportunity at ONE Championship 99, which streams on B/R Live from Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, against Eduard Folayang (21-7). Like Alvarez, the Filipino also lost his opening round bout and will serve as a replacement for injured Lowen Tynanes.

“It’s ironic because back in (2008), I was undefeated through the whole DREAM tournament,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “I was disqualified, and the guy that I beat came back and won the whole tournament, so it’s almost like things have come full circle. The fight gods are in my favor this time, and it’s time for me to win a tournament.”

Despite losing to large underdog Nastyukhin in his debut, Alvarez said he doesn’t expect his struggles to persist. It’s all about adjusting to a new setting, according to the former UFC lightweight champ.

“I think it’s more about getting comfortable with the situation – getting my feet wet in ONE,” Alvarez said. “There’s a learning curve of traveling, making the weight, getting comfortable in a promotion. I think I’ll have that after the fight. I do it every once in awhile, and now I feel comfortable. I can be my true self and fight my best fight.”

While certain aspects of fighting under a new banner have taken time to get used to, Alvarez is enjoying other facets of life in ONE Championship. 

“I like travel, first of all,” Alvarez said. “Seeing new cultures, meeting new fans – I’ve always enjoyed fighting in Tokyo. I’ve always enjoyed the fans there. I just think the Asian culture is more knowledgeable about fighting, MMA, kickboxing in general, so it feels good to fight in front of a crowd who understands what’s going on.”

Additionally, Alvarez expressed relief in not having to build up his fights through interviews and trash ]talk. The Philadelphia native is able to act like himself without having to fret over self-promotion.

“The fact that I fight at ONE Championship, I don’t have to do a lot of extra things that are disingenuous – that aren’t of my nature,” Alvarez said. “I can be my honest, true self, and that’s good enough for my boss. That’s good enough for the fans.

“It’s tough that you sometimes have to act out of character to get title shots – in order to get things you aspire to have. It’s a breath of fresh air.”