Eddie Alvarez, the former Bellator Lightweight champ who signed an 8-fight deal with the UFC only for Bellator to claim they matched the offer and tie him up in lawsuits, might not end up going to trial in 2014 after all. His manager Glenn Robinson spoke to MMA FIghting:

"We're not there yet but hoping we can come together [on a settlement]," Robinson said. Robinson wouldn't discuss whether there was a chance Alvarez could fight on Bellator's Nov. 2 pay-per-view, headlined by Tito Ortiz vs. Quinton Jackson. He also wouldn't specify whether he was hoping the settlement would be a new Bellator deal or allowing Alvarez to sign with UFC.

Some have speculated that the Alvarez suit was a motivating factor in Bellator's rush to PPV since their attempt to match the UFC's offer relies heavily on their claims that they will be able to book him on a PPV.

It's no surprise that Alvarez is looking to settle, he's already lost a year of his fighting prime to this contract dispute and with nothing more than a pretrial conference scheduled for September 2014, he could easily waste his remaining career in court.

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