Eddie Alvarez’s ONE Championship debut went far from according to plan, and now the decorated fighter has posted a lengthy statement regarding the defeat.
Alvarez faced Timofey Nastyukhin at ONE’s “A New Era” card on Sunday, in what was an opening round bout of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix. Since Alvarez is a former UFC and Bellator champ, he was a big favorite to advance in the tourney.
The hard-hitting Nastyukhin, however, had other ideas, and he finished Alvarez in the first round. More recently, Alvarez posted the lengthy statement below on Instagram.
Hey guys First and foremost congrats to Timofey in his victory , He is very deserving of everything that comes with victory and I wish him the best in the continued tournament . Honestly speaking how I fought my One Championship debut is not a reflection of my training my coaches , my team , it’s not even a reflection of my beliefs . I am sincerely disappointed and confused in my inability to not pull the trigger and my hesitancy on recent fight nights , it’s been quite confusing to figure out the past year or so . Coach Mark always stresses “hesitancy is Death” and it’s not something that is even in my character to do . In this particular fight I waited too long for an opening and paid the ultimate price . The punch that hit me , instantly blinded me and split both eyelids in half . It felt like my eye exploded from the inside and the pain was instant . From an outsider watching myself I should of have expected the result considering my actions . You have to punch , kick , takedown and pressure to win a fight , I waited . I simply waited too long for the correct timing and opening that never came . Fighting continues to teach me life lessons thru my victories and even more through tough defeats . Victory and defeat are by products of putting it on the line , they have been inescapable throughout my whole life . I hope to be judged on how I adjust and pivot from defeat and behave in victory rather than the result of a small moment in time . To my Wife /kids family , coaches , teams mates , friends and to all the fans , thank you always for your continued support , doing this is very lonely and isolated , a simple pat on the back goes a long long way . Thank you thank you thank you . I will make adjustments and come back true to form
You can check out the fight below. With the loss, Alvarez’s record now stands at 29-7, with a 1 NC.
