Eddie Alvarez made his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC 178, taking on fan favorite and top-10 stalwart Donald Cerrone.
It was a fight that was hard to imagine being anything but exciting…and it did not disappoint. Alvarez showed off his crisp boxing. Cerrone showed off his long reach and deceptive power.
In the end, Cerrone’s punches and kicks would add up. Alvarez’s eye swelled shut and he was unable to plant on his front leg. That allowed “Cowboy” to push his way toward a unanimous decision win.
So what did we learn?
Donald Cerrone Is a Scary Man
In the first round, Cerrone absorbed a barrage of uppercuts that was Pride-era Don Frye-esque. In the third round, he unleashed his own barrage, but of savage leg kicks that took Alvarez’s leg out from under him and left him unable to confidently walk after the final horn sounded.
It was an excellent performance from Cerrone that showed off his chin, striking and wrestling defense. Not only that, but it showed off a focus and ferocity we frankly didn’t see from him when he suffered losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis. It’s very possible that he could be the best lightweight in MMA right now, and if he gets a crack at the winner of Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez, don’t be surprised if he wins.
Bellator Has Elite Talent, and You’re Silly if You Don’t Admit It
You’d have figured people would have learned when the WEC took over every weight class under 205 pounds. You’d have figured people would have learned when Strikeforce fighters inserted themselves into the welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight title pictures. But nope, they didn’t.
Alvarez took it to Cerrone tonight, and he very easily could have won. Alvarez also lost to Michael Chandler, who lost to Will Brooks. What that shows is that Bellator owns multiple fighters capable of hanging with the best in the business, and that fact isn’t just limited to the lightweight division.
Hector Lombard, Zach Makovsky, Ben Askren, Eduardo Dantas, Patricio Freire, Vitaly Minakov…all of them are legitimate top-10 fighters. All of them established that in Bellator.
Eddie Alvarez Still Has Immaculate Boxing
It doesn’t matter that he lost. Eddie Alvarez showed just how excellent his boxing was. His use of angles and sniper-like accuracy saw him land clean hands on Cerrone again and again and again. Even in Round 2, where Cerrone battered his leg terribly, Alvarez zigged, he zagged and he landed rights square to Cerrone’s chin.
While Cerrone isn’t an elite-level striker, he has a great jab and absolutely devastating kicks. The fact that Alvarez was able to sucker him as consistently as he did is a testament to how great his striking is.
Donald Cerrone Has a Legitimate Shot to Take the Title
Cerrone may have lost to Pettis. Melendez is still an elite lightweight. Both of them are actually stylistically similar to Alvarez.
Pettis is a fearsome striker whose game is based around footwork and cutting off the cage (as is Alvarez’s). Melendez is a crafty boxer who still has a strong wrestling base (like Alvarez). Cerrone, though, found opportunities to land jabs and long leg kicks, and stuffed most of Alvarez’s takedown attempts.
That in mind, it’s not hard to imagine him being able to stand and trade with Pettis, or neutralize Melendez’s ground game. If manages to do that, we might just see Cerrone become the UFC lightweight champion.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com