Top UFC Fighter Threatens To Sit Out Until He Gets the Contract He Wants

If the UFC wants Eddie Alvarez to fight in July, they’ll need to strike a new deal with the former UFC lightweight champion of the world.

ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto reported on Tuesday that the company was looking at booking Alvarez in a rematch against Dustin Poirier for the July 28 event in Calgary, but Alvarez put a stop to that notion on Wednesday.

Alvarez told MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that he is not accepting any fight until he strikes a new contract. "It's not f--king happening," Alvarez said.

Alvarez and Poirier fought in a controversial brawl in May 2017 at UFC 211 that ended with a no contest when Alvarez landed knees to a downed Poirier. A rematch between the two is highly anticipated and would help clear the way for either to be the next challenger at 155 pounds.

Despite Alvarez’s strong words on the situation, he said he's not looking to leave the organization.

Alvarez told Helwani, "I feel like the best guys are [in the UFC]. I still have a couple guys in the division that I want to take out and have on my resume so I definitely have some unfinished business here."

Per Helwani, the UFC had been eyeing Nicco Montano’s first title defense against Valentina Shevchenko for the Calgary event but began looking at other options after failing to lock down Montano. Now, with Alvarez’s contract situation, the UFC may be left scrambling for a suitable main event for July 28.