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[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] says he won’t be fulfilled with his career unless he adds one more title belt to his collection.
Alvarez (30-7), who’s won prominent championships across various MMA organizations, including Bellator and the UFC, is looking to chase after one more before calling it quits. He takes on former title challenger Iuri Lapicus (14-1) on April 7 at ONE on TNT I in a bout he expects will earn him a title shot if he’s able to have a standout performance.
It’s an opponent Alvarez admits is still a bit of a mystery to him.
“I haven’t gotten much tape. If you guys got any tape, I’d love to get it off you,” Alvarez recently quipped with MMA Junkie Radio. “The only tape I’ve really seen was Christian Lee. I know this much: I know he’s from a judo background, so he’s well-versed in grappling. He’s training with Giorgio Petrosyan, who I always considered one of the best strikers in the world.
“So I know he has good guidance, and coming off the first loss of his career, I’d imagine he’s going to be hungrier than ever. That being said, for me, I’m chasing history and he’s in my way. So it’s important to get him out of there, and get him out of there in a decent fashion that kind of warrants a title fight.”
With wins over the likes of Michael Chandler, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos and Justin Gaethje, the 37-year-old Alvarez has beaten a who’s who in MMA. But despite his championship-filled accolades, Alvarez thinks one more major achievement would prove quite historical.
“I have to win this title,” Alvarez said. “I have to. That’ll bug me. There’s a lot of things that bug me, but this’ll bug me. I think it’s a part of history. Very few people are going to have the opportunity to make this history, so in a sense I’m lucky, and in another sense I’m obligated to put forth my best effort to do it. I just don’t think a lot of people will be in this position ever, and I’m in it, and I’m fortunate enough to be in it. So I have to do this for myself, yes.”
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