Bellator President Scott Coker Open to Speaking With Eddie Alvarez

Bellator president Scott Coker is open to having discussions with Eddie Alvarez.

Alvarez is coming off a second-round TKO loss at the hands of Dustin Poirier. It was the last fight on “The Underground King’s” UFC deal. UFC president Dana White said he’d like to re-sign Alvarez, but would understand if the promotion’s former lightweight champion wants to go elsewhere.

With Alvarez being a former two-time Bellator 155-pound champion, many have been wondering if “The Underground King” will make his way back to the promotion. During a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Coker told Luke Thomas that he’d love to speak with Alvarez if he’s free:

“I don’t think we’ve talked to Eddie, but listen, if he wants to reach out and have a conversation and he’s truly a free agent and we’re not interfering in anybody’s contract, we would love to talk to him. I think the guy has done a lot of good work in building his brand here in the U.S. Obviously, he’s had some great fights with Michael Chandler here in the past. We want to talk to every free agent out there that’s a big star, and I think Eddie is still a big star.”

Alvarez has gone 1-2, 1 NC in his last four outings. The current stretch comes after a three-fight winning streak, which included a UFC lightweight title victory over Rafael dos Anjos. Before his run in the UFC, Alvarez was considered a mainstay under the Bellator banner during the Bjorn Rebney era. He became the inaugural Bellator lightweight champion back in June 2009. Alvarez lost the gold to Chandler in Nov. 2011, but won it back in the rematch two years later.