Kemo
12-19-2019, 11:39 PM
Eddie Alvarez says there is a noticeable difference in how ONE Championship and UFC treat their fighters.
Alvarez who is the former UFC lightweight champion left in free agency and signed with Singapore-based promotion. He believes ONE Championship appreciates fighters more as in the UFC you are just another fighter.
“The treatment individually, for me personally,” Alvarez said, explaining where ONE Championship differs from the UFC. “Everybody walks around saying ‘I’m treated so well’ in certain promotions, but it’s an individual thing. Some guys feel like they’re getting gipped. For me, with UFC, there are so many guys, and sometimes you get lost in the shuffle. You lose your value there or they don’t appreciate certain fighters the way they should. It’s always better to feel appreciated, not just by executives of the promotion, but the fans as well.
“In Asia it’s like football almost, you get off the bus and it’s like nothing you’ve seen before,” Alvarez continued. “They view [martial arts] a little bit differently than America. They view the athlete as a hero, win or lose, where here it’s like you get dumped on your head [if you lose]. It could be a championship fight against the best in the world and they dump you on your head. There [in Asia] they appreciate the heroes and the fighters for their character and their willingness to fight their asses off inside the cage.”
Eddie Alvarez is just 1-1 in ONE Championship and coming off of a submission win over Eduard Folayang.
Alvarez who is the former UFC lightweight champion left in free agency and signed with Singapore-based promotion. He believes ONE Championship appreciates fighters more as in the UFC you are just another fighter.
“The treatment individually, for me personally,” Alvarez said, explaining where ONE Championship differs from the UFC. “Everybody walks around saying ‘I’m treated so well’ in certain promotions, but it’s an individual thing. Some guys feel like they’re getting gipped. For me, with UFC, there are so many guys, and sometimes you get lost in the shuffle. You lose your value there or they don’t appreciate certain fighters the way they should. It’s always better to feel appreciated, not just by executives of the promotion, but the fans as well.
“In Asia it’s like football almost, you get off the bus and it’s like nothing you’ve seen before,” Alvarez continued. “They view [martial arts] a little bit differently than America. They view the athlete as a hero, win or lose, where here it’s like you get dumped on your head [if you lose]. It could be a championship fight against the best in the world and they dump you on your head. There [in Asia] they appreciate the heroes and the fighters for their character and their willingness to fight their asses off inside the cage.”
Eddie Alvarez is just 1-1 in ONE Championship and coming off of a submission win over Eduard Folayang.