Eddie Alvarez takes to social media to comment on being forced out of the ONE Lightweight Grand Prix final bout at ONE: Century due to injury.
Eddie Alvarez took to Twitter for his first comments since being forced out of the ONE: Century event.
Alvarez was scheduled to take on Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev in the final match of the ONE Lightweight Grand Prix, but an injury has forced Alvarez to pull out, according to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
“My apologies, I am gutted,” Alvarez tweeted. “I can hold my head up and say with all honesty I gave this opportunity my all. I wanted this as bad as anything I ever wanted, but for some reason, it’s not my time right now. It’s time to rest and heal and come back stronger.”
Alvarez was one of multiple big-name signings ONE Championship made last year, taking him from the UFC in free agency, alongside the likes of Sage Northcutt and the “traded” Demetirous “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
Alvarez was not originally supposed to compete in the Lightweight Grand Prix final, as he had been eliminated by Timofey Nastyukhin in the tournament’s opening round at ONE: A New Era back on March 31. Nastyukhin, however, was forced out of the tournament with his own injury, and a fight between Alvarez and former ONE welterweight champion Eduard Folayang at last month’s ONE: Dawn of Heroes was turned into a semifinal. Alvarez pulled off a come-from-behind submission.
Arslanaliev will now face ONE lightweight champion Christian Lee in the tournament final. Lee, whose lightweight championship will not be on the line, gained the title by defeating Shinya Aoki for the strap back at ONE: Enter the Dragon in May.
ONE: Century takes place on Sunday, October 13, 2019, live from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Follow along with FanSided MMA who will be cage-side for all your live results and highlights from the night.