Shit gets real between Bellator (Bjorn Rebney) and Eddie Alvarez on the MMA Hour w/ Ariel Helwani:
'Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney appeared on Monday's edition of Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, and expressed optimism that he would come to terms with lightweight Eddie Alvarez, who desire to move to the UFC. The dispute centers on whether Bellator matched the UFC's contract. While Bellator matched the contract word for word, Alvarez maintains that the payout from a percentage of a UFC PPV and the promotion on the FOX network cannot be matched. Bellator counters that a PPV, the promotion's first, is in the works headlined by Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler, and that Spike is a reasonable substiture for FOX.
"We've stated the position pretty clearly in terms of what our beliefs were in terms of the contract, and we expect people to honor those contracts, just like anybody would," said Rebney. "Just like UFC would or just like the Denver Nuggets would in the NBA. You expect guys to honor the contracts when they sign them.
"Just like there was an expectation on Ed's part that we would live up to those terms and pay him the money we've paid him, and give him the bonuses we gave him, etc. When you sign a contract, you don't do it so that at some point someone can simply say, ‘I don't feel like this works for me anymore.' You sign it, you have good attorneys and managers look over it if you're a fighter, and you have good attorneys and people look over it if you're a promoter, and both sides are expected to live up to it. There's not an expectation that you just have a change of heart and at some point you can just walk away from it. It doesn't work like that." Said Rebney.
Alvarez later called into the show, and asked to speak with Rebney, on air. Alvarez request was denied.
"You know what, I would love to talk to Ed," said Rebeny. "But I don't want to talk to Ed in a public forum.
"If Eddie wants to sit down, I will fly him into Los Angeles, I will him take out to lunch or dinner. It can just be he and I, and like men we can try to work something out."
"I just wanted to have a chat and it didn't go on," said a dissapointed Alvarez.
"Me and him haven't talked in a while. There's been a lot of he said, she said, and I just want to clear everything up, you know? I don't feel like it's right. He said on air that I have to live up to my end of the bargain. That I have a contract that I'm obligated to, and I feel like I've fulfilled that contract through and through. I fought everybody they wanted me to fight, and what I don't feel like is that they're fulfilling their end of the contract."
"The whole idea of being a free agent for me was to see what my value was. To see what my value was, and now that I see that, all I want Bellator to do is rightfully match... I don't want to sit out, man. I want to fight. I've already sat for three months, maybe plus.
"I don't want to go through a trial. This is stupid. I want to fight. So either step up and make it comparable, or let us go. But don't lie. Don't lie to the fans, don't lie to the media, don't lie to everyone."
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