Olivier Busquet Defeats JC Alvarado In High-Stakes MMA FightPoker Pro Wins $150,000 In Bet After Being Declared The Winner By Technical Knockout |
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On April 21, 2016 poker pros Olivier Busquet and JC Alvarado met inside an MMA ring to settle a six-figure bet that has been in the works for six months now. Alvarado, who had more prior experience in mixed martial arts put up $150,000 to Busquet, the larger of the two but with less fight training prior to the bet.
The two agreed to fighting weights of 187.5 pounds for Busquet and 165 for Alvarado, and they both made weight the day before the fight.
At roughly 7:00 PM local time the fight got underway at the Syndicate MMA facility in Las Vegas. After three two-minute rounds of visceral, violent and intense fighting the medical staff was brought in to examine Alvarado, whose face was soaked in blood with his left eye nearly swollen shut. It’s unclear if Alvarado, his corner, or the medical staff made the decision, but the fight was called at that point and Busquet was awarded the victory by technical knockout.
“The journey itself was just about testing myself,” Busquet told Card Player after being declared the winner. “Finding out what I was made of and if I could handle something like this. I owe everything to the people who helped me, especially [coach] Tito Hartz and everybody at ECU (East Coast United BJJ and MMA)… I would have just gotten my ass kicked without them.”
“I have so much respect for JC. He is so tough. If the situation was reversed I might have given up way before he did,” Busquet continued. “I came in bigger and stronger, and he knew I would be and he still went through with it and still lasted three rounds. On the bottom most of the time, taking tough shots. I just have a lot of respect for him.”
“I’m so relieved and thrilled. I can’t believe it’s over and that it ended like this,” concluded the exhausted and battered Busquet.
According to his Twitter timeline, Alvarado went to the hospital afterward but left by around midnight local time, apparently in good enough condition to smile.
My biggest fear was not having heart. I couldn't execute what I know I can do, but I'm out of the hospital with a big smile on my ugly face.
— JC Alvarado (@JCAlvarado1) April 22, 2016
This was far from the first fight-based prop bet between poker players, with Elky vs. Lex Veldhuis and Sorel Mizzi vs. Brian Rast having taken place in recent years. In all likelihood, there will be more poker players battling it out in the ring in the future. Players just might want to think twice before choosing Busquet as their opponent.
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