The UFC is going to be handing out a pair of interim titles next month at UFC 236, but those kind of titles are a serious problem in MMA according to Alvarez.
“Look, this is a serious problem,” Alvarez said at a One Championship media event (via BJPenn.com). “I’m laughin’, but it’s nothing to joke about. We’re all part of the problem, all of us are. When an interim title is given… And the media makes a big fuss of it and a fighter makes a big fuss of it and a fan makes a big fuss of it, an interim title has value. That’s the saddest thing that can happen in the sport.”
Alvarez has held three championships during him time in the UFC and Bellator MMA, but none of them were interim titles.
A huge reason that Alvarez dislikes interim titles is that he believes the UFC is using them to avoid paying the fighters more money.
“Because an interim title is given in replacement for money. ‘We don’t wanna give you money, but well give you an interim title. We don’t wanna give you money, but we’ll give you a main event spot. We don’t wanna give you money, but we’ll give you that opponent you want. We’ll give you everything… But what you deserve. And that’s money,’" Alvarez said.
One Championship: A New Era takes place on Sunday, March 31 from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan with Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on Bleacher Report Live.
