...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Maynard Sweeney, MMATorch Contributor This article is the fifth in a series of daily releases counting down the top thirty fights of 2008. We will release a new article each day starting from #30 all the way up until the end of the month.
Top 30 Fights of 2008: #26
Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri
DREAM.5 - 7/21/2008
Eddie Alvarez is bar none the breakthrough fighter of 2008. This scrappy kid from Philly came out of nowhere and tore his way through the who's who of the DREAM lightweight division. Before fighting Tatsuya Kawajiri, we saw him slug it out with Andre Amade for a KO win, and then have a methodical battle with Joachim Hansen through fifteen tough minutes to earn a decision victory.
Just like any rising fighter, scrutiny began to rain down from the keyboard warrior heavens once young Eddie gained some momentum. To endure the endless bombardment of internet criticism is truly the only war in mixed martial arts which transcends rounds. Some fighters get into heated MySpace battles like sixteen year old girls, and others avoid it all together. Either way, gaining the acceptance of MMA fans abroad sits upon your ability to prove yourself consistently and in varying situations.
Eddie, to say the least, passed his test with flying colors (albeit I would have preferred some flying knees instead). His cool demeanor and Philly Cheese Steak fueled body put him on top of his first two fights in the DREAM Lightweight GP, and his accomplishments had placed him in the final trial of wide-spread acceptance: big win número tres.
Whilst on the doorstep of his fight with Kawajiri at DREAM.5, Eddie stood where so many potential breakthrough fighters had failed before him. Just one year prior we saw one Houston Alexander slip into the UFC unnoticed, and manage to pull off a mini Blitzkrieg on the always tough Keith Jardine and Italian boxer Alessio Sakara. But just when we thought this guy was going to beat every Light Heavyweight in the UFC and then punch out Dana White to take over the company, he dropped three straight fights in less than ten minutes combined.
Another great example would be Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. After releasing the fury of Cameroon into the faces of Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira to earn himself two lightning fast, brutal knockouts, he went one for three in the UFC.
Just like those two could-have-beens, Alvarez aced his Freshman and Sophomore big show fights. Now Junior year was just beginning, and Eddie had something to prove.
After seven straight minutes of highly skilled fighting, riddled with all the little technicalities any martial artist looking to make it in the big times should display with his opponent (and subsequently the things the American fans seem to think is "boring"), Alvarez decided that it was time to shut the mouths of the critics. With fists flying and heart racing, young Eddie unleashed an all out attack upon the skilled Kawajiri. The always respectful Japanese crowd sighed and then cheered the way they always do, and Eddie had finally made his statement:
"Here I am."
Eddie is the journeyman of the lightweight division. Arguably pushing the top five of the lightweight rankings, and no doubt one of the best lightweights outside of a Zuffa contract, Eddie made 2008 interesting for us. The Kawajiri fight was important because it gave us fist-proven confirmation. We now know that there will be a whole new interesting aspect to the world of lightweights. Even better, by defeating Kawajiri, we can confidently say that with the skills he displayed, 2009 has the potential to be a very interesting year.
Stay tuned for #25 of the MMATorch Top 30 Fights of 2008, which will be revealed with a full article tomorrow.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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