The Film Room: Eddie Alvarez
Eddie Alvarez will headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship card for the second time when he rematches Dustin Poirier in the UFC on Fox 30 main event this Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. When he was in Bellator MMA, Alvarez was always viewed as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC, and he proved he could contend with the cream of the crop by winning the lightweight championship in just his fourth appearance inside the Octagon.
The 34-year-old Philadelphia native is the subject of this installment of The Film Room series.
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‘The Underground King’
One of the most disciplined strikers in MMA, Alvarez also has the wrestling chops to give opponents trouble on the ground. Training under Mark Henry, he has become one of the best boxers in the UFC and wields rarely seen patience and discipling. Staying patient on the outside allows Alvarez to make reads on his opponents and know when to come in with a combination and when to sit back and let them come to him.
Similar to Poirier, Alvarez is comfortable and calm when trading in
the pocket, even though he does not do so often. What makes Alvarez
so dangerous in the pocket is his ability to mix up shots to the
head and body while countering during these exchanges. It may look
like he is wildly trading, but if you pay close attention, a lot of
the strikes are counters. Being able to stay calm enough to counter
while trading in the pocket is rare in MMA; coincidently, Alvarez
and Poirier are both exceptional at it.
Alvarez does not only rely on countering in the pocket. Against Patricky Freire, he showed an ability to use a back-skipping counter right hand, an intercepting knee and counters with a combination off of a lazy leg kick. Notice how Alvarez kept his hands low, making his counter right come up at an odd angle instead of the traditional straight punch.
Alvarez is also one of the best body snatchers in the sport and is always mixing up his combos from head to body. He generally likes to set up a right hook to the body with a jab but will also use the Mike Tyson tactic of throwing multiple hooks to the body with the same hand.
Alvarez shocked the world when he dismantled Raphael dos Anjos in the first round with one of the craziest flurries on record back in 2016. He stunned Dos Anjos with a lead hook-rear hook combo and proceeded to throw wild hooks and uppercuts for the next minute or so before referee Herb Dean had seen enough.
Alvarez is a fantastic leg kicker but rarely throws any up top. Against Freire, he feinted a jab at the Brazilian, who attempted to avoid it by dipping to his left, only to run right into a high kick from Alvarez. Since he does not throw many head kicks, Alvarez has an easy time landing them on occasion since its unexpected from a boxing-heavy fighter.
Although known for his boxing, Alvarez was a fantastic wrestler in high school and holds the rank of brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ricardo Almedia. He does not rely on those skills often, but Alvarez has shown he can dominate opponents on the ground. Alvarez did not shoot for a single takedown against Connor McGregor, a man against whom he had a clear advantage on the mat. Considering the success Poirier enjoyed on the feet in their first encounter, do not be surprised if we see Alvarez turn to his grappling in the rematch.
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