Eddie Alvarez looked like he was holding a golf ball in his mouth, and his right cheek was comically swollen. To compound matters, Alvarez's left leg was barely mobile due to numerous hard kicks to it.
In Detroit, the former UFC lightweight champion was embroiled in the third round of a back-and-forth barnburner with Justin Gaethje at UFC 218 on Dec. 2, 2017. Neither man was giving an inch. Near the middle of the final round, Alvarez pulled Gaethje into a clinch, pushed his head down and landed some short punches to Gaethje's face.