After what was nearly a yearlong battle, former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and the promotion where he grew his name the most have finally come to terms. On Tuesday it was announced that Alvarez will return to the promotion and receive a rematch against the only man to defeat him in nearly five years, Michael Chandler.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 2 will occur on the recently-announced Bellator pay-per-view debut on November 2nd, at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. This is an important event for a number of reasons, and the promotion needed a bout like this to really excite the hardcore mixed martial arts fanbase, which generally had a negative reaction to this event. The only other fight that had been announced for this event was the main event, a light heavyweight tilt between Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Back in 2011 at Bellator 58, Chandler and Alvarez put on perhaps the Fight of the Year, in a contest that saw Chandler take away a title that Eddie had carried since 2009. Both fighters had flashes of excellence during the fight, and both had opportunities to finish the other. In the end, it would be Chandler who would stop the champion via rear naked choke in the fourth round to take the title. Since then Chandler has looked great as the champion, stopping three straight fighters and solidifying himself as a top star for Bellator MMA.
Alvarez, on the other hand, is coming off of two straight wins, even though he has not competed since October of last year. A nasty legal battle between Alvarez and Bellator kept the former champion from making his debut in the UFC, which was expected to occur this year. However, Bellator invoked the matching clause in Alvarez’ contract, setting off the dispute that has kept Eddie on the sidelines.
This is a captivating matchup, not only for the promotion’s PPV debut, but for the legacy of both Chandler and Alvarez. Since winning the title, Chandler has been groomed as the “poster boy” of the promotion – receiving prime placement, endorsements, and media opportunities. All the while, Eddie has been out of the cage, and saying nearly anything he could about the situation in the media. Now, he’s coming back to a promotion where the relationship is going to be tarnished in some form or fashion. If he were to win the title, how could the promotion truly get behind him and promote him at the same level? And if he loses, does Bellator cut him loose, which would place him in a terrible negotiating position with the UFC, or any other promotion that shows interest?
From a skill standpoint, one has to wonder how much cage rust Alvarez will have after being out of competition for so long. He’s been training with the Blackzilians in Florida, but being out of action for this long never bodes well for a fighter. Chandler has looked more and more impressive with each appearance in the cage. He finished Dave Rickels and Akihiro Gono in under a minute, and took care of Rick Hawn in the second round. He will be the favorite going into this fight due to his constant improvement during the period that the challenger has been on the bench.
The November 2nd Bellator card just became much more interesting with the addition of this lightweight title bout. Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez 2 should be the main event of this card, as it carries so much weight for the future of the organization, and features two of the best 155-pound fighters in the sport today. And in a way, where hardcore MMA fans are concerned, it kind of is.
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• Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez (LW Championship)
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Bellator 106: Rampage vs. Tito will take place on November 2, 2013 at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California.
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