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With Eddie Alvarez fighting Donald Cerrone at UFC 178, who do you think wins that fight, and what does the winner have to do from there to get a title fight?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Alvarez wins the fight, and will get hot-shotted into a Memorial Day Weekend title fight. Unless of course Pettis gets hurt in the lead to the Melendez fight, or between then and his first defense after the Melendez defense.
Alvarez gets the nod over Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov due to a few factors. First is the whole Bellator thing, and if his UFC contract is at all similar to the original deal they offered him before the whole Bjorn thing, then the UFC is going to have to monetize it as rapidly as possible. And based on timing of things, I think we could see a rematch between dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov in the winter, with the winner receiving a title shot. Not fair to Nurmagomedov having to beat a rapidly improving dos Anjos twice, but this isn't the fair business, it's the fight business. And the other factor in Alvarez's favor is the fact that Alvarez speaks English, is well-liked by pretty much everybody, and is going to be counted on to sell pay-per-views, and I think it's clear what the UFC wants to do with the Lightweight Title over the next 6-12 months.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I'm leaning towards Alvarez, though I definitely think Cerrone can win this. I think Alvarez wins an exciting slugfest. From there he'll need another big win to get a title shot, in large part because of how the division has been held up so much. If Alvarez wins here and gets another win, you have to give him the next shot. I would say the same for Cerrone, to be honest. Cerrone is on a big roll. I love the way he fights. It's an exciting time in the lightweight division. If only the division wasn't being held up so much by the filming of The Ultimate Fighter.
KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Cerrone will walk away victorious. And then I think he'll also need another victory before challenging for the title. Cerrone vs Khabib for a shot at the belt could be very interesting.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Ok let me break this down: if Alvarez wins he has a title shot clean and clear. He's a top three lightweight and that's why Dana White brought him in. If Cerrone wins we will probably see him fight again to earn a title bout. It's unfair to Cerrone but rankings are rankings and the difference is all in the votes for these two.
TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR
It's been a long time coming, but finally we'll get to see Eddie Alvarez fighting for the UFC, and what a debut fight he's been booked in for! His opponent Donald Cerrone has gone 4-0 since his defeat to Rafael dos Anjos almost a year ago. Not only has Cerrone defeated Evan Dunham, Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza, and more recently Jim Miller, he's finished all four opponents inside the distance, and picked up an extra $200,000 in bonuses for his troubles!
This is a perfect match up for both fighters, and despite Alvarez coming over as the Bellator Lightweight Champion, I'm backing Cerrone to carry on his stunning form, and defeat Eddie Alvarez inside the distance. A win for either fighter will put them in prime position to face the winner of Anthony Pettis vs Gilbert Melendez when the pair meet later in the year.
Prediction: Donald Cerrone TKO RD2
DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST
It is impossible to totally write off Donald Cerrone in the form he's in at present, but I can't see past an Eddie Alvarez victory. He won't get the UFC jitters, and he's been in big fights against quality opposition before. Alvarez is not your average UFC debutant. He also possesses the better all round game, even if Cerrone is more diverse with his striking. It's also hard to back Cerrone when he has clearly choked every time he's been only one win from the title. His reckless abandon approach often disappears when the prize is greater, and until he proves me otherwise, I can't back him in this type of pressure fight.
Whomever wins this one is fighting for the title next. Both are fan favourites, and both are marketable enough to be the next opponent of either Anthony Pettis or Gilbert Melendez. In make believe land Rafael dos Anjos is next, but the fans don't care enough about him, even after knocking out the consensus No. 1 contender last weekend. Life isn't fair, and the UFC will go with whomever can help Pettis or Melendez sell the most pay-per-views. Only a stinker of a fight will help dos Anjos, and that's not going to happen with these two going toe-to-toe.
CASH NORMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
The fight between Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone is a fight that I'm really looking forward to watching. With that being said, I believe Cerrone wins the fight. If you review each of Alvarez fights, he gets rocked at least once before he composes himself and pulls through. I believe this is a problem because once an opponent is hurt, Cerrone doesn't allow them to recover.
If for some reason Alvarez is able to pull off the victory, he will get the next title shot at lightweight. I feel confident this will happen because other high profile fighter acquisitions have received the same offer. Fighters like Alistair Overeem and Hector Lombard would have received a title shot had they won, but after Overeem won he failed a drug test, and Lombard lost to Tim Boetsch. Honestly, with the exception of WEC/Strikeforce, fighters acquired from outside organizations have not faired well in the UFC; especially if you look at their career over the long run.
If Donald Cerrone wins the fight, I don't believe he will be given a title shot, especially after the loss he suffered to the current lightweight champion. I think if Cerrone wins he will face Khabib Nurmagomedov upon his return, and if he loses he may face Gilbert Melendez (sorry, El Nino is going to lose badly to Pettis) or a rematch with Rafael dos Anjos.
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