3. Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez 2 | Bellator 106 (Nov. 12, 2013)
Everyone knows about the first fight between Chandler and Alvarez, which we will cover later, but their rematch was an all-time classic too. Both were considered top 5 lightweights when they met almost two years to the day from their first meeting. Chandler was still undefeated at 12-0, having fought three times since and demolished his opponent each time out, two of them knockouts in under a minute, and two considered official title defenses. Alvarez had not been idle, either. First, he had avenged a submission loss to Shinya Aoki by blowing him apart with punches just over 2 minutes into the first round and then scored one of the greatest head kick knockouts in MMA history at the very end of the first round against Patricky Freire, one of the finest one-round fights the sport has seen and one I had on my own top 10 Bellator fights list. His record was an amazing 24-3 and at 29, he was likely in his absolute prime. Despite this and how close the first fight had been, Alvarez found himself a considerable underdog, almost the opposite of the odds for their first meeting.
Early on, it appeared that Alvarez had improved more than his foe. He was wary of Chandler's early aggression and kept his distance. Chandler, however, again switched gears nicely and got takedowns, including a deep RNC attempt. Round 1 Chandler was truly an unstoppable force of nature. However, Alvarez again asserted himself in round 2, landing a number of hard strikes, and really unloaded in the third round, though not to the degree of their first meeting, including a great use of uppercuts. Chandler's left eye was a swollen, bleeding wound and once again, he would look for magic in the fourth round. Surely lightning doesn't strike twice? Well, it did, in the form of a brilliant jumping knee and then brutal ground-and-pound, as Alvarez was too tired himself to get up at that point. However, this time Alvarez survived and in the final round, there was no doubt. Alvarez was the better man. Incredibly, both men had survived 25 full minutes with one another! What followed was a highly controversial split decision for Alvarez, regaining his crown and handing Chandler the first loss of his career. It's certainly no robbery, but a majority of fans and media alike scored it for Chandler. However, the controversial result only slightly mars what is otherwise an evergreen gem.
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