Bellator 106: Did the Judges Rob Michael Chandler of His Lightweight Belt?

At times, Eddie Alvarez pushed Michael Chandler to the brink of breaking in their captivating lightweight title bout at Bellator 106 on Saturday.
And when the final bell sounded, Chandler certainly looked like the more battered man.
However, aside from…

At times, Eddie Alvarez pushed Michael Chandler to the brink of breaking in their captivating lightweight title bout at Bellator 106 on Saturday.

And when the final bell sounded, Chandler certainly looked like the more battered man.

However, aside from the fact that he narrowly outstruck (115-111) his foe and rendered Chandler’s left eye swollen shut, did the scrappy Philadelphia native do enough to dethrone the former unbeaten champ?

One of three new champs crowned at the event, Alvarez apparently got the job done in the eyes of two of the bout’s three judges and outpointed Chandler for a 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 split decision.

But reexamining the brutal back-and-forth fight, critics could make a solid case that Chandler won three of five rounds, using his grappling prowess to take each of the first, second and fourth stanzas.

Furthermore, Chandler advocates could make the argument that the former NCAA All-American wrestler won three rounds while drawing with Alvarez in the fifth.

Breaking the fight down by rounds and analyzing the stats, it seems logical that Chandler did more than enough to retain his belt. 

In the first round, Alvarez outlanded Chandler, 17-9 but got his back taken and had to fend off a legitimate rear-naked choke attempt. Since Alvarez did no significant damage in the striking exchanges, and Chandler threatened him with a submission, the former University of Missouri stalwart should have won the round.

Alvarez outlanded Chandler 19-14 in Round 2, only to surrender takedowns on five of Chandler’s seven shots. Alvarez essentially spent the round attempting to create scrambles to escape from Chandler in grappling exchanges.

Alvarez outworked Chandler in the third round and outstruck the former champ by a thin margin, 22-19. Still, a fatigued Chandler generally controlled the action, mustering a pair of takedowns on seven attempts while stuffing Alvarez’s lone shot.

Then, roughly 30 seconds after eating a clean flying knee from Chandler early in the fourth, Alvarez made the ill-fated mistake of pulling butterfly guard.

Chandler capitalized on his nemesis’ tactical error and spent the rest of the round landing punches and elbows in Alvarez’s guard. 

The final round proved the most intense, with Alvarez surviving a nasty neck crank early and Chandler later escaping a rear-naked choke attempt that Alvarez came close to cinching up.

Alvarez and Chandler nearly duplicated the fireworks they produced in their first showdown at Bellator 58, a bout deemed “Fight of the Year” by Yahoo! Sports. 

Only this time, Chandler, who landed 37 significant strikes to Alvarez’s 22 and scored 10 takedowns and surrendered none, couldn’t finish the job, thus placing his status as champ in the hands of three judges.

Three judges who believed that Alvarez inflicted enough damage in the striking department to hijack the belt from Chandler.

A noble sportsman, Alvarez essentially explained at the post-fight press conference that getting the nod from the judges was just an incentive to putting on another unforgettable battle with Chandler.

I’m going to take zero credit for what happened tonight. It takes two people to put on a fight like that. Not just me … me and Mike Chandler. The guy fights his ass off [and] he has the heart of a lion. It takes two of us to do that, and we went in there and we put on a show [and] we put it on the line. Really at the end of the fight I didn’t give a s*** who won that fight. It was just special to be a part of it and I’m happy to be a part of it.

Regardless of the controversial nature of the decision, the gutsy performances of Alvarez and Chandler bailed Bellator MMA CEO Bjorn Rebney out of the Tito Ortiz/Quinton “Rampage” Jackson debacle.  

Plus, if Chandler had edged Alvarez on the scorecards, a third fight between the two warriors would have never materialized.

Now, like Alvarez had to do for over two years, Chandler must wait to get his revenge. 

All stats gathered via Compustrike.com

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Bellator 106 Salaries: Eddie Alvarez Tops List, “King Mo” Lawal Makes $10,000

Bellator’s grand spectacle has been met with quite a bit of criticism outside of the main event, but a number of fighters won’t be complaining after their bank accounts were enlarged by quite a bit.
MMA Junkie has the full list of Bellator 106 salaries…

Bellator‘s grand spectacle has been met with quite a bit of criticism outside of the main event, but a number of fighters won’t be complaining after their bank accounts were enlarged by quite a bit.

MMA Junkie has the full list of Bellator 106 salaries, and to no surprise, Eddie Alvarez tops the list. The new Bellator lightweight champion pocketed a cool $106,000 for taking out Michael Chandler in a fight that could easily win Fight of the Year.

Chandler had one of his eyes swollen completely, but seeing $95,000 go into his bank account will help him get through the pain.

Alvarez and Chandler recreated the magic that was found in the their first meeting as both men went back and forth over the course of five rounds. Chandler seemed to be fading as the championship rounds began but a huge flying knee turned it all around.

The fight ended in a split decision, and it’s easy for either fighter to make a case as to why they should be wearing Bellator gold.

In a moment of irony, Daniel Straus made the same amount of money as the man he defeated to win the Bellator featherweight title, Pat Curran. Strauss was in control for much of the fight, although Curran was never completely out of it.

Joe Riggs was the evening’s biggest winner in terms of win bonus, as he only made $5,000 to show but took home a $95,000 win bonus for winning the inaugural Fight Master. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise from the list of salaries is the fact Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal took home a measly $10,000. For being one of the stars Bellator has looked to build its brand around, $10,000 seems like chump change.

Considering there were guys on the prelims who made more than “King Mo” (in official salary at least) it’s hard not to see why Lawal and others would look to make a quick buck in professional wrestling.

 

The full list of Bellator 106 salaries is as follows:

  • Eddie Alvarez: $160,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus) def. Michael Chandler: $95,000
  • Emanuel Newton: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Muhammed Lawal: $10,000
  • Daniel Straus: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Pat Curran: $40,000
  • Joe Riggs: $100,000 (includes $95,000 win bonus) def. Mike Bronzoulis: $5,000
  • Mike Richman: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Akop Stepanyan: $3,000
  • Jesse Juarez: $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Joe Williams: $3,000
  • Cristiano “Soldier Boy” Souza: $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Alejandro Garcia: $2,000
  • Brandon Halsey: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus) def. Hector Ramirez: $7,000
  • Mike Guymon: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Aaron Miller: $4,000
  • Cleber Luciano: $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Joe Camacho: $2,000
  • Josh Smith: $3,000 (includes $1,500 win bonus) def. Darren Smith: $1,500

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Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II: Breaking Down the Compustrike Numbers

Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler are evenly matched, folks. 
In their first fight at Bellator 58, each man nearly ended the fight on several occasions, and their rematch Saturday evening at Bellator 106 featured a similarly back-and-forth affair…

Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler are evenly matched, folks. 

In their first fight at Bellator 58, each man nearly ended the fight on several occasions, and their rematch Saturday evening at Bellator 106 featured a similarly back-and-forth affair. 

While Chandler eventually secured a rear-naked choke in Round 4 of their first encounter, it was the challenger, Alvarez, who took home a split-decision victory in the rematch. 

Did he deserve it? 

Let’s check out the CompuStrike numbers. 

Where striking is concerned, this fight was very close. 

Alvarez holds a small advantage in terms of total strikes landed, but each man landed at the same rate, and Chandler held an advantage in power shots, an area which judges usually weigh more heavily. 

Really, there is nothing definitive to draw from these statistics. They simply restate the fact that this fight was closely contested on the feet. 

This is where things get interesting.

The fight’s most significant disparity is seen in the takedown department. 

Chandler finished 10 takedowns to Alvarez’s zero, but Chandler also attempted 21 to Alavrez’s three. 

When you consider this, Alvarez’s takedown defense is quite impressive. He nullified more attempts than not, an impressive feat considering Chandler’s stellar wrestling thus far in his career. 

In addition, Alvarez secured more dominant positions in the fight and came close to finishing the champ with a rear-naked choke in Round 5. 

So who held the advantage?

That depends. Do you value takedowns or takedown defense? Is it more impressive that Chandler completed 10 takedowns or that Alvarez defended 11?

Usually, successful takedowns take precedent over takedown defenses, but it appears the judges in this one were swayed a bit by Alvarez’s takedown defense. 

 

Conclusion

This fight could have gone either way. 

One cannot reasonably call it a “robbery,” but one can also make a case for Chandler through his takedowns and efficient, powerful ground striking. 

Personally, I’m fine with an Alvarez split-decision victory. 

The fact that the decision was split and that all judges saw the contest 48-47 is perfect, regardless of the victor. That alone demonstrates that they all saw an incredibly close fight, and the official statistics corroborate this notion. 

To say either fighter got “ripped off” is irresponsible. This was a close contest between two exceptional fighters, and Alvarez’s win was well earned and justifiable. 

Bring on the third installment, please. 

 

Like MMA, heavy metal or life’s absurdities? 

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Dana White Taunts “Djork” Rebney After Alvarez Win

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&rsquo…

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:

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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Bellator 106 Recap: Alvarez Edges Chandler, Newton Picks Apart King Mo, Riggs Becomes The “Fight Master”


(Photo via Tracy Lee/CombatLifestyle.com)

Bellator should be thankful that this card never made it to PPV; the main event was incredible but paying $45 for the rest of the card would’ve turned people off to Bellator for life.

The night started off promising. Mike “The Marine” Richman met Akop Stepanyan and won via TKO in the first round. The match was well fought and exciting.

The same couldn’t be said for the next fight on the card: Joe Riggs vs. Mike Bronzoulis. The two men fought for the honor of being Bellator’s first “Fight Master” winner, a title as dubious as being the first XFL champion. Riggs won a wrestling-heavy decision that sedated the crowd and likely had television audience flipping channels.

Pat Curran vs. Daniel Straus, the first of three title fights on the card, followed Riggs-Bronzoulis. This fight didn’t wow viewers either. There were a few spurts of action — as well as a point-deduction for an illegal knee that essentially KO’d Straus in the third round — but it was a generally lackluster affair that saw Straus take Curran’s featherweight title and in doing so avenge his 2009 loss to Curran.

But Straus wasn’t the only fighter looking to avenge a loss at Bellator 106. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal sought victory over Emanuel Newton, who humiliated Lawal with a spinning backfist knockout back at Bellator 90. Lawal failed in this task.


(Photo via Tracy Lee/CombatLifestyle.com)

Bellator should be thankful that this card never made it to PPV; the main event was incredible but paying $45 for the rest of the card would’ve turned people off to Bellator for life.

The night started off promising. Mike “The Marine” Richman met Akop Stepanyan and won via TKO in the first round. The match was well fought and exciting.

The same couldn’t be said for the next fight on the card: Joe Riggs vs. Mike Bronzoulis. The two men fought for the honor of being Bellator’s first “Fight Master” winner, a title as dubious as being the first XFL champion. Riggs won a wrestling-heavy decision that sedated the crowd and likely had television audience flipping channels.

Pat Curran vs. Daniel Straus, the first of three title fights on the card, followed Riggs-Bronzoulis. This fight didn’t wow viewers either. There were a few spurts of action — as well as a point-deduction for an illegal knee that essentially KO’d Straus in the third round — but it was a generally lackluster affair that saw Straus take Curran’s featherweight title and in doing so avenge his 2009 loss to Curran.

But Straus wasn’t the only fighter looking to avenge a loss at Bellator 106. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal sought victory over Emanuel Newton, who humiliated Lawal with a spinning backfist knockout back at Bellator 90. Lawal failed in this task. He looked impressive with his takedowns and pressure early on, but faded fast, and began looking at the clock and taking deep breaths more than he was blocking punches. As the contest stumbled into the championship rounds, Newton gassed too. The latter half of the fight wasn’t Houston Alexander-Kimbo Slice bad but it was getting to that point. Newton won via unanimous decision and earned a shady, gimmick interim title. 

The main event saved the night. Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler attempted to rip one another apart for our entertainment (and for money, of course). Their fight rivaled Diego Sanchez-Gilbert Melendez in terms of excitement; it was equally action-packed but far more competitive. Chandler had the upper hand at some points, but it was Alvarez who was just a little quicker, landed a little more, and was a little more aware. The judges awarded Alvarez with a split-decision victory — to Bjorn Rebney’s apparent dismay — but the match took a lot out of both fighters.

The aftermath? Let’s just say Bellator really lucked out that this wasn’t put on PPV. The fights, on the whole, weren’t entertaining enough to warrant a price tag. Even worse, cherished “star” King Mo lost to a fighter many deemed beneath his level in Emanuel Newton for the second time. The positive fallout is that with an Alvarez victory, Bellator has at least one title fight to book that people actually want to see now: A rubber match between Alvarez and Chandler.

Here are the complete results for Bellator 106:

Main Card

Eddie Alvarez def. Michael Chandler via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
Emanuel Newton def. Muhammed Lawal via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Daniel Straus def Pat Curran via unanimous decision (49-45, 48-46, 48-46)
Joe Riggs def. Mike Bronzoulis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mike Richman def. Akop Stepanyan via TKO, 4:05 of round 1

Preliminary Card

Cristiano Souza def. Alejandro Garcia via submission (rear naked choke), 3:06 of round 3
Brandon Halsey def. Hector Ramirez via TKO, 0:52 of round 1
Mike Guymon def. Aaron Miller via submission (triangle choke), 4:20 of round 2
Cleber Luciano def. Joe Camacho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Smith def. Darren Smith via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Bellator 106: Grades for All Main Card Fighters

Bellator 106 moved from pay-per-view to Spike, and the fans were the winners of the evening.
Three title fights lined the card along with the Fight Master finale.
In the main event, Eddie Alvarez edged out Michael Chandler to regain the Bellator Lightw…

Bellator 106 moved from pay-per-view to Spike, and the fans were the winners of the evening.

Three title fights lined the card along with the Fight Master finale.

In the main event, Eddie Alvarez edged out Michael Chandler to regain the Bellator Lightweight Championship.

The 25-minute fight was not the only championship bout to go the distance. The co-main did as well. Emanuel Newton got a decision win over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal for the Interim Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship.

The best fight of the evening took place in the featherweight division. Daniel Straus took Pat Curran’s title with an excellent showing.

It was a fun night. The five-fight main card delivered for MMA fans, and Bellator will look to carry the momentum forward.

Let’s take a look at all of the fighters and award them grades for how they performed on Saturday night.

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