Many feared it would never materialize, but—once he settled his differences with Bellator MMA—Eddie Alvarez all but finalized his highly anticipated rematch with lightweight linchpin Michael Chandler.
The rematch will go down at Bellator MMA’s first pay-per-view event (Bellator 106) on Nov. 2, nearly two years removed from Chandler’s epic win over former champ Alvarez at Bellator 58.
In the first installment of this 155-pound rivalry, Alvarez got dropped twice in Round 1 only to bounce back with an offensive assault in Round 3 that nearly finished an ever-resilient Chandler.
Although both men seemed fresh heading into the fourth, Chandler dropped Alvarez midway through the round, took his back and then cinched up a fight-ending rear-naked choke to take the belt in just his ninth fight.
Because of the thrilling back-and-forth nature of the bout, Yahoo! Sports named it the 2011 “Fight of the Year.”
Since their unforgettable showdown, Chandler and Alvarez have gone a combined 5-0 with five finishes in Bellator MMA.
Here’s a head-to-toe breakdown of what will be the most hyped rematch in Bellator MMA history.