UFC president Dana White wasted no time in taunting Bjorn Rebney in what must be considered a night of mixed feelings for the Bellator chief on Saturday.
Although there was plenty to enjoy on the night of Bellator 106, two fighters from the world’s No. 2 MMA promotion were nevertheless left frustrated.
But it was the defeat of Bellator’s lightweight champion, Michael Chandler, at the hands of Eddie Alvarez that put the biggest smile on White’s face.
As he tweeted moments after the event:
I’m hearing Djork oops Bjork got served a big fat plate of Karma tonight 🙂 Congrats Eddie!!
— Dana White (@danawhite) November 3, 2013
Both the UFC and Bellator have been in a protracted bitter dispute over Alvarez, whose attempts to jump promotions to the UFC were scuppered over a contractual dispute.
After almost a year on the sidelines, Alvarez agreed to a rematch against Chandler, who took the Bellator 155-pound title from him in 2011. However, according media speculation on his new contract, Alvarez would be free to sign with the UFC should he lose to Chandler again, with his stock clearly diminished. If he wins the rematch, then he’s reportedly obligated to a third and final bout against Chandler, after which he’s free to sign with the UFC regardless, this time with his stock clearly raised.
In other words, Bellator had a lot riding on their stalwart champion defeating the troublesome Alvarez, who seems UFC-bound regardless.
But Alvarez’s win isn’t the only “karma” Rebney may have tasted on Saturday. The promotion had also invested heavily in promoting another former Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC) fighter, King Mo Lawal, who lost for the second time to Emanuel Newton.
And all that came on the back of the collapse of Bellator’s plans for its first-ever pay-per-view event, which would have been headlined by two former UFC veterans Quinton Jackson and Tito Ortiz. With Ortiz injured, the event was aired free on Spike TV instead with the Chandler vs. Alvarez fight becoming the main event.
Whatever White may have been referring to, Chandler and Alvarez once again put on one of the best fights of the year, giving Rebney some cause for celebration.
“If karma is that we just put on the best mixed martial arts fight I’ve ever seen, that’s karma I’ll take big boatloads of,” Rebney said following the event, according to MMA Junkie.
Is that just posturing? A GIF making the rounds on the internet, which shows Rebney shaking his head moments before putting the belt around Alvarez, may reveal his true feelings.
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