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Eddie Alvarez is still having to keep his career over ice, as he does battle with his former employer. Alvarez had planned on moving over to The UFC, but due to a contract dispute he may or may not be able to do that. It’s in the judge’s hands now, and any fighter will tell you that’s not a good place to be.

According to MMA Payout, Eddie Alvarez and Bellator MMA are nearing a conclusion to their ongoing legal battle.

It would appear that the two sides are close to negotiating a settlement, and that Alvarez could be headed back to the promotion he has called home for the past several years.

Bellator’a attorney, Patrick English, asked the court to give them an extension to work on a settlement “without further litigation.”

The two sides have been going back and forth since the UFC offered Alvarez a contract that Bellator claimed to have matched.

The first extension Bellator asked for ended today, but both sides have agreed to a March 1 second extension. The court must approve it, though, for it to be made official.

Among the most interesting parts to this whole equation was that Bellator made it public that they were planning to hold a pay-per-view in the first half of 2013 with Alvarez facing current lightweight champion Michael Chandler.

UFC president Dana White recently granted UFC Tonight a special interview where he sounded off on a number of subjects that are in the news today.

One of them concerned Eddie Alvarez and the ongoing legal battle between the UFC and Bellator.

To sum it all up, the UFC offered Alvarez a contract following the expiration of his deal with Bellator. With the support of Spike TV, Bellator agreed to match each number presented to Alvarez by the UFC.

However, it appears that Alvarez and his legal team do not believe that Bellator can fulfill their obligations and is challenging the decision in court.

Here’s what White had to say in regards to the entire ordeal:

The right to match deal works out for the fighters. That’s where a fighter finds out what he’s truly worth. The lawyer for Bellator? He’s either the biggest moron in the history of the world, or a liar. For this guy to go out there and say that Spike and Fox are exactly the same is the most ridiculous statement ever made in the history of the world.

What kind of numbers does Spike TV pull every week? Our prelims on FX pull better numbers than their live main events do. On FX! Let’s not even talk about Fox. Fox shouldn’t be in the discussion. Eddie Alvarez is getting screwed big time.

The judge? He’s not educated on television, television networks or pay-per-view. The thing is, that drives me crazy. It’s not Spike TV, it’s Viacom. The pompous, arrogant clown that runs Viacom, his name is Philippe Dauman. This guy has claimed that he built the UFC. Comparing Spike TV to Fox is a joke and it’s horrible what’s happening to Eddie Alvarez.

As we all remember, the UFC had a falling out with Viacom and Spike TV after they agreed to sign a contract with Fox. White spoke out at that time against the network, as well.

Eddie Alvarez, who is currently sidelined as legal teams sort out his future, was denied an injunction that would have allowed him to compete for the UFC.

Alvarez appeared in a court room on Friday, hoping to have his fighting future cleared up. Instead, the former Bellator lightweight champion remains a free agent, though his return to Bellator is growing stronger.

After fulfilling his Bellator contract last year, Alvarez was offered a UFC deal. As per most Bellator contracts, the promotion held a matching clause. Bellator officials claimed they matched the contract, while Alvarez disputed those claims due to the offering of a pay-per-view percentage.

The UFC is a major market in PPV, while Bellator has yet to host such a card.

Alvarez was hoping to be able to compete at UFC 159, which takes place this April in New Jersey. His Bellator contract also had a potential PPV date for early in 2013 with Michael Chandler, the current lightweight champion in the promotion.

Eddie Alvarez wants to fight. And he wants to fight for the UFC.

However, Alvarez is currently unable to do so, as his contract gets sorted out in a courtroom.

Alvarez recently appeared on Inside MMA and stated that he just wants to get on with his career.

I’m just going about my normal day. I’m not a lawyer (or) a manager. I do my training. The whole ordeal is very obvious of a Bellator pay-per-view – which never even existed, vs. a UFC pay-per-view. That is not even comparable. It’s up to a judge. The truth will prevail.

Bellator officials said they matched every term given to Alvarez in the UFC contract proposal, but Alvarez is rebutting a Bellator PPV claim since the promotion has yet to air any pay-per-views.

Alvarez is a former lightweight champion and is 24-3 in his career. He went 9-1 with Bellator.

Eddie says he just wants to fight and put the petty drama behind him.

Eddie sounds as if he’s not that thrilled with Bellator, and he admits The UFC gives him more potential.

Dana talks about bringing Eddie into The UFC.

Documents concerning the UFC contract for Eddie Alvarez have been obtained by MMAjunkie.com, and they include some interesting pieces of info.

First, it appears Alvarez would be given an immediate title shot with UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in March. The contract states an “intent” to have Alvarez compete for the belt, not a guarantee.

Also, Alvarez would be paid $70,000 to show and another $70,000 if he dethroned Henderson atop the division. His pay would increase for each win until it topped out at $210,000 per fight, along with earning a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue.

Alvarez would also be paid $250,000 for signing with the UFC and leaving Bellator. The contract does show that Bellator agreed to match each piece of the contract offered by the UFC, including $25,000 for a behind-the-scenes show and $100,000 for appearing on the upcoming Bellator reality series.

The former Bellator lightweight champion has made it known he prefers to go to the UFC, but his fighting status will be determined by the courts now. Alvarez could decline signing with Bellator, but would likely face a year on the sidelines due to a no-compete clause.

Eddie Alvarez still doesn’t know when – or, more important, where – his next fight is going to happen.

Alvarez, who was offered a contract by the UFC, has had the deal matched by Bellator, according to MMAjunkie.com.

Bellator, the place Alvarez called home for the past several years, had the right to match any deal presented to the former lightweight champion.

Now, the contracts will be reviewed by a legal team. The source indicated that Alvarez is looking to have the terms of the deal with Bellator carefully looked over.

Alvarez (24-3) won eight of his nine Bellator fights, dropping the title to Michael Chandler in late 2011. He rebounded to post a pair of victories since.

All parties involved declined to comment when asked about the situation. Following a recent event, UFC president Dana White said things were going to get “ugly” in regards to Alvarez and his potential entrance into the UFC.

Alvarez posted a message via Twitter following news of the contract talks.

Guys its not Up to Me , Who I fight for ,Trust Me

— Edward Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) January 3, 2013