Eddie Alvarez (photo courtesy of Bellator)

By FCF Staff

UFC President Dana White recently relayed that the bidding war with Bellator for its former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez was “going to get ugly,” and today there is word that the promotion has indeed countered the UFC’s offer to the free agent.

Although Alvarez and his management haven’t made any official announcement regarding the reported counter offer, and whether they’ll accept it, MMA Junkie is reporting that Bellator has countered the UFC’s proposal. No details of the offer were included.

Bellator lost another of its top stars in Hector Lombard to the UFC in 2012, however, the promotion’s CEO Bjorn Rebney has consistently stated that the Viacom backed organization was very interested in retaining the services of Alvarez.

Alvarez is coming off a stoppage win over Patrick Freire in October to extend his overall record to 24-3. The 28 year-old vet is 9-1 in his last 10 fights with his only loss during that stretch coming against Michael Chandler, which ended his reign as Bellator champion.