Report: Eddie Alvarez close to leaving UFC for ONE Championship

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, a free agent, is close to signing with ONE Championship, sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

The move, if finalized, will be the biggest signing in ONE Championship history. The 34-year-old Alvarez is also a former lightweight champion in Bellator.

Alvarez fought eight times in the UFC, amassing a 4-3 record along with one no contest. He captured the lightweight title with a TKO of Rafael dos Anjos in July 2016 but surrendered the belt four months later at the end of his highly publicized feud with Conor McGregor.

Alvarez fell to Dustin Poirier in July during his most recent bout, fulfilling what remained of his contractual obligations to the UFC.