Bellator
Eddie Alvarez not entering Bellator season six tournament, eying Shinya Aoki rematch
Jan 11, 2012 - 4:45:25 PM

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Eddie Alvarez lost his Bellator Lightweight Championship to Michael Chandler in November in an immensely exciting "Fight of the Year" candidate, but he won't be using the first half of 2012 attempting to gain a rematch.

In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Bellator chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney says that Alvarez will be eying a rematch with Shinya Aoki, and will not take part in the season six lightweight tournament.

"Ed won't be part of the next tournament during the March kickoff," Rebney said. "The decision was reached between us that the next right step wouldn't be to jump back in the season-tournament right now."

Before the Chandler loss, Alvarez's last defeat came against Aoki at the end of 2008 by heel hook. At the time it was only his second career defeat, and he railed off seven straight wins before the shocking upset loss to Chandler.

Rebney's not yet sure whether that rematch will happen under the DREAM or Bellator banner, but that's what they're targeting for Alvarez's next bout.

Penick's Analysis: Bellator's refusal to make title fights without a tournament winner, while an admirable attempt to keep it as "sporting" as possible, is still a flawed system that doesn't allow for certain scenarios in the fight game that call for rematches. This isn't necessarily one of those cases where an immediate rematch is necessary, especially with a decisive finish by Chandler, but what it does mean is it would take Alvarez four more fights at the least to earn another shot if he's going to fight Aoki, and then he'd still be behind whomever wins the season six tournament.

[Eddie Alvarez photo credit Henry Dziekan III]