It’s tough to be a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champion, and just as hard to be a champion outside the ring. Eddie Alvarez is blessed to be both. He is at the top of his profession as a MMA fighter. But, even with his grueling conditioning schedule, Eddie found time to put on a clinic for the XEO3 wrestling club. XEO3 is a wrestling club run by North Catholic wrestling coaches, for kids from throughout the city of Philadelphia. 
Eddie Alvarez, before becoming a world-class MMA fighter, was a wrestler and football player at Northeast Catholic. After finishing his studies at North, Eddie decided that college wasn’t something that he wanted. Instead, he decided that the one thing that he was always good at was fighting. Coming from the tough streets of Kensington, Eddie did a lot of fighting. And, being on the small side, he often had to fight guys twice his size. But, Eddie usually won his street fights, and decided to give professional fighting a shot. Apparently, it was a great move, as Eddie began fighting at 170lbs and only lost once at that weight. Eddie’s true weight class is 155lbs. I guess Eddie was so used to fighting bigger guys that it didn’t matter much to him. Eddie is currently ranked #3 in the world in the lightweight division. Click Here to see the rankings. 
This clinic was not the typical type where the big star rolls into town, says a few words and blows out. This was a “hands on” clinic, with Eddie demonstrating moves for the young men and then personally assisting the young wrestlers with their technique. This lasted for the entire practice session. After the technique portion of the clinic ended, Eddie stayed and talked to the wrestlers, explaining how to overcome doubts that arise before a match, mental toughness, sound body and how to have the heart of a champion. The wrestlers in attendance were spellbound by the champ, as it will most likely be a session that many of them will never forget. 
Eddie explained how he was just like these young men just a few years earlier. He down played his own wrestling ability, but Coach Savage corrected him to let the young men know that Eddie was a superior wrestler at North Catholic. That seems to be the type of humble guy Eddie Alvarez is, and continues to be, as he credited his time at North for helping him become the man he is today. As an Alumnus of Northeast Catholic High School, I can only say that Eddie certainly is a fine young man and we’re all proud to call him a brother.
Eddie's official website is : http://www.alvarezfight.com/ 
