Throughout his mixed martial arts career, which spans 15 years and 37 matches, Eddie Alvarez has won a lot but has also lost several matches. In almost every defeat, however, he has rebounded with a strong performance in the following bout. Which he is hoping to do against Eduard Folayang at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES on 2 August in Manila.
Here is how Alvarez has come back from losses in the past.
After Nick Thompson
Alvarez’s first loss happened in April 2007 when he was stopped by Thompson via strikes in the second round. At the time, he had only been a pro for four years. Still, he bounced back with a unanimous-decision win over Matt Lee three months later, launching a five-match win streak.
After Shinya Aoki
The next loss on Alvarez’s record came against someone who is a familiar face to ONE Championship. After succumbing to Shinya Aoki via a first-round submission from a heel hook in December 2008, Alvarez tightened up his own submission game. That refocus led to a first-round submission victory over Greg Loughran in April 2009. Alvarez won his next seven matches in a row, where he forced four opponents to submit.
After Michael Chandler
To kick off another of Alvarez’s epic rivalries, he again lost by submission at the hands of another legend in Michael Chandler in November 2011. Alvarez returned in April 2012 for his rematch with Aoki, where he was more patient with the Japanese submissions specialist.
Alvarez carefully chose his striking opportunities, and he scored a definitive first-round KO to gain his revenge. It remains to be seen if the two men will have a rubber match with ONE Championship sometime soon, but that victory over Aoki launched a three-bout win streak.
After Donald Cerrone
Alvarez sometimes has issues in his first match after signing with a new promotion. That happened to him against the iconic Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in September 2014. Alvarez was outstruck for three rounds and lost via unanimous decision. Just like many times before, Alvarez rebounded to go on a three-bout win streak. Initially, he defeated Gilbert Melendez in a memorable war, then edged out former world champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, before capturing a world title when he scored a TKO victory over Rafael dos Anjos.
After Conor McGregor
Alvarez lost one of the most celebrated and grand bouts in mixed martial arts in November 2016 when he was stopped in the second round by Conor McGregor. Alvarez lost his title in that match. After that bout, he faced Dustin Poirier in a knockdown-dragout affair, but the bout was ruled a no-contest when Alvarez couldn’t continue after being hit with an accidental knee.
In the following match, Alvarez outslugged the tough Justin Gaethje to get back into the win column.
What Could Be Different This Time?
Alvarez has always been able to avoid a losing streak throughout his career, but for the first time ever, he is on a two-match skid. Can he come back again and shake off two straight losses, or has he finally hit the wall?
We’ll find out in August.
