Their first bout two years ago was an absolute classic and the rematch was no different as Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez thrilled MMA fans once again in the main event at Bellator 106.
Alvarez avenged his November 2011 submission loss to Chandler, edging him with a controversial split decision win to regain the Bellator MMA lightweight title Saturday in Long Beach, Calif.
The event was originally scheduled to be headlined by a light-heavyweight bout featuring former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but Alvarez and Chandler did a more-than-admirable job filling in as headliners.
Alvarez, in his first fight since October 2012 after a long-drawn-out contract dispute with Bellator officials, looked fresh early despite the layoff. However, late in the opening frame, Chandler landed a big slam and locked in a rear-naked choke — the same move he finished Alvarez with in their first meeting — but Alvarez was able to fight it off and escape the round.
Chandler pressed the action in the second, but at the end of round Alvarez landed a well-timed uppercut and left hook that appeared to rock his opponent, though Chandler took the fight back to the ground and finished on top.
In round three, Alvarez peppered Chandler with punches that resulted in Chandler’s left eye swelling almost completely shut.
Round four began with chants of “Eddie! Eddie!” as the Philadelphia native pressed forward, but those cheers stopped when Chandler landed a flying knee to shift the momentum. A bloody Chandler rained down solid ground-and-pound, busting Alvarez open with strong right hands and elbows.
The final stanza saw both fighters leave everything in the cage as Alvarez tried on several occasions to submit Chandler with a rear-naked choke of his own.
Though the crowd cheered boisterously when the final bell sounded, the decision was met with loud boos since the majority in attendance and those commenting on social media thought Chandler should have been awarded the decision.
There is no word yet on what’s next for the two fighters, but chances are a trilogy bout will take place at some point. Bellator president Bjorn Rebney said at the post-fight press conference that he would not hesitate to set up another rematch.
In other action, Daniel Straus extended his win streak to six and became the new Bellator featherweight champion in doing so as he won a unanimous decision over Pat Curran.
Curran, the only fighter in the organization’s history to win Bellator tournaments in two different weight classes, could have become the first fighter to win 10 fights in the promotion.
The champ is a notorious slow starter and that was evident in the first two rounds. With fewer than two minutes remaining in the third round, Curran landed a huge knee to the face of Straus while Straus had a knee on the ground. Curran was deducted a point for the illegal blow, but Straus was okay to continue.
In the end, the one-point deduction did not matter as Straus won a unanimous decision to hand Curran his first loss in the Bellator 145-pound division.
In the co-main event, Emanuel Newton was crowned Bellator’s interim light-heavyweight champion, beating Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal by unanimous decision.
Although it wasn’t as dominant a performance as when Newton knocked Lawal out with a spinning backfist in February — in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in Bellator history — he controlled the middle rounds to earn the decision.
Newton will face 205-pound champ Attila Vegh at a future Bellator event to unify the titles.
“After fighting Mo, Attila ain’t got nothing for me,” Newton said after receiving his belt.
Also on the main card, UFC veteran Joe Riggs won a unanimous decision over fellow welterweight Mike Bronzoulis, and Mike Richman knocked out Akop Stepanyan in the first round of their featherweight scrap.
Here are the complete results from Bellator 106:
MAIN CARD
— Eddie Alvarez def. Michael Chandler by split decision
— Emanuel Newton def. Muhammed Lawal by unanimous decision
— Daniel Straus def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision
— Mike Bronzoulis vs. Joe Riggs by unanimous decision
— Mike Richman def. Akop Stepanyan by TKO, Rd. 1
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Cristiano Souza def. Alejandro Garcia by submission, Rd. 3
— Brandon Halsey def. Hector Ramirez by TKO, Rd. 1
— Mike Guymon def. Aaron Miller by submission, Rd. 2
— Cleber Luciano def. Joe Camacho by unanimous decision
— Josh Smith def. Darren Smith by unanimous decision
