Eddie Alvarez got a kick out of seeing the landmarks in his Kensington, Philadelphia, neighborhood on the big screen in Creed.
When the fictional fighter Adonis Creed spars at Front Street Boxing, it is the same gym where Alvarez got his start at eight years old. Alvarez’s padman, Ricardo McGill, had a cameo in the film.
The beat-up bars and hardscrabble streets all stirred emotions for one of the UFC’s top lightweight contenders.
“Just seeing where I grew up, the streets, that was the coolest part of Creed for me,” he said.
Alvarez (26-4) wants to give Philly fight fans a real reason to cheer when he takes on Anthony Pettis (18-3) at UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston tomorrow.
Both fighters have plenty to prove in the co-main event of a stout card. Pettis, who made a splash after coming over from WEC, is to fight for the first time since he lost his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185. Alvarez lost his UFC debut to Donald Cerrone in the wake of a bitter split with Bellator and is fighting for just the third time in three years.
“I feel like it’s taken me a little while just to get comfortable and enjoy a UFC fight,” Alvarez said. “There’s been so much built-up anxiety and I hate fighting like that. I think I’m settled down there and usually that’s where I do my best. Third round is always my best, so I’ll call my third fight my best.”
Alvarez has his aim on a championship bout — with or without Conor McGregor in the way — and beating Pettis can only solidify his spot as a pay-per-view title contender.
“The only way I lose is if I make small, fundamental mistakes,” he said. “I just don’t see it.”
Alvarez hoped a return to his roots could help him return to form.
The 31-year-old Alvarez ditched his training camp in Florida and moved back to Philadelphia in January last year to train year-round in the area. He has strength and conditioning training in New Jersey. Alvarez commutes more than he did when trained in Florida, but with a wife and four young children, he wanted to stay close to home.
With his family in the stands, Alvarez said he would love to fight for a championship and headline a card in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has not been the site a card since UFC 133 in August 2011, and the promotion’s only other show was UFC 101 in August 2009.
UFC is looking at a return trip and could run the Wells Fargo Center for a major show or even a Fight Night at Temple’s Liacouras Center.
“Philadelphia is on the short list of cities we’d like to visit in 2016,” UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said. “We don’t have a date secured yet, but it’s on the radar and we are hopeful to make our return soon.”
Alvarez could even share the card again with Philadelphia native Paul Felder. “The Irish Dragon” is to fight tomorrow on the Fight Pass prelim card against Daron Cruickshank. Felder, coming off two straight losses, spent the past few weeks training in Philadelphia.
Like Alvarez, Felder (10-2) credited his Philly upbringing for sparking a love of mixed martial arts (MMA).
“The karate school I trained at when I was a kid saved me from sitting out on those steps and drinking 40s,” he said.
He mixed training with acting and earned roles in plays staged at three major Philadelphia theaters. Felder has become friends with Rob McElhenney, one of the stars and creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. McElhenney, a noted MMA fan, lived for a week at a fight ranch with Felder and Cerrone in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to write a screenplay in isolation.
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