Eddie Alvarez hones his grappling but also sharpens the hands

ONE Championship lightweight Eddie Alvarez has not made an appearance in the ONE circle since ONE on TNT 4 in April 2021. 'The Underground King' recently teased a return to the cage in the near future, and until then, the former UFC and Bellator champion has been busy honing his skills both on the mat and on the feet.

Posted on Alvarez's Instagram story and Ricardo Almeida's Instagram account, the Pennsylvania native gave fans a peak into his training, giving fans hope that he will grace the ONE circle with his special brand of violence sooner rather than later.

Check out the Instagram post below:

While Alvarez spent some time working with Ricardo Almeida on grappling, 'The Underground King' is primarily known for his explosive standup skills. Rest assured, the knockout artist spends plenty of time putting in work on the pads.

In another post on his Instagram story, the American shared a brief image of himself sparring with professional boxer 'The New' Ray Robinson.

Photo Credit: @ealvarezfight on Instagram

Neither Alvarez nor ONE Championship have confirmed a return date. It was previously reported that the 38-year-old was offered a fight to return at ONE Championship's 10th-anniversary event ONE X in March, but turned down the opportunity.

Recent comments on Alvarez's Twitter account have given fans hope that a return is around the corner.

---

Eddie Alvarez boasts some incredible numbers in mixed martial arts

Over Eddie Alvarez's nearly 20 year career, the fighter has racked up 30 victories, multiple championships and some seriously impressive numbers. Alvarez has an 80 percent finish rate over the course of his career with half of his 30 wins coming in the very first round.

Eddie Alvarez has scored 18 career wins via knockout, which accounts for 60 percent of his wins since he began competing in 2003. Throughout his career, the American has competed in 8 different countries across 11 promotions, including his current home with ONE Championship.

Perhaps the most impressive number associated with Alvarez's career is 1,174. That's the amount of days Alvarez spent as the Bellator lightweight champion. 'The Underground King' also captured the UFC's lightweight title before moving to ONE in 2019.

Alvarez showed a true return to form when he defeated Eduard Folayang in an epic comeback in his sophomore appearance with the promotion.

No opponents have been announced for his return, but fans have been clamoring for a potential trilogy bout with Asian MMA icon Shinya Aoki. The two have faced each other twice, in their first bout in K-1 and the rematch under the Bellator banner.

With the series at 1-1, it feels like the perfect opportunity to see who takes the rubber match. Of course, fans will be excited to see Alvarez in the ONE circle no matter who his next adversary is.

Who would you like to see Alvarez face in his highly anticipated return?