All 10 main card fighters made weight Friday for Saturday night’s Bellator 106 at Long Beach Arena.
Lightweight champion Michael Chandler came in just under the 155-pound weight limit for his main-event rematch with Eddie Alvarez. Chandler clocked in at 154.8, while Alvarez was 154.5.
Both fighters say they’re prepared for a reprise of their 2011 bout, which is considered the greatest fight in Bellator history. “We got two great competitors stepping in the cage, this is a rematch a lot of people have been waiting for,” said Chandler, who won the first bout via fourth-round submission. “This is what we do.”
Alvarez, meanwhile, returns to the cage after a year without fighting, due in large part to a contract dispute with the company. “I’m focused, I’m prepared, and I’ll be the new lightweight Bellator champion of the world,” said Alvarez.
The buildup to the interim light heavyweight title fight between Emanuel Newton and “King Mo” Lawal was heated, but the two were professional toward one another on Friday.
Lawal, who weighed in for their rematch at 204.1, and Newton, who checked in at 203.4, shook hands both before and after their posedown.
“I’m gonna put it like this, the training’s all done, it’s time to fight,” said Lawal, who was knocked out by Newton in their first fight in February. “Y’all see tomorrow I’m going to win.”
Newton was even more succinct: “I’m tired of talking and I’m ready to do this.”
Both fighters on one undercard bout missed weight, as Cleber Luciano (149) and Joe Camacho (150) both missed for their featherweight fight. The bout was changed to a catchweight fight.
Main card:
Michael Chandler (154.8) vs. Eddie Alvarez (154.5)
Muhammed Lawal (204.1) vs. Emanuel Newton (203.4)
Pat Curran (144.8) vs. Daniel Straus (144.2)
Joe Riggs (170.7) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (171)
Mike Richman (145.5) vs. Akop Stepanyan (145.9)
Preliminary card:
Alejandro Garcia (170.3) vs. Cristiano Souza (171)
Mike Guymon (155.5) vs. Aaron Miller (156)
Brandon Halsey (205) vs. Hector Ramirez (204)
Joe WIlliams (170.6) vs. Jesse Juarez (170)
Josh Smith (155.5) vs. Darren Smith (155)
Cleber Luciano (149) vs. Joe Camacho (150)