Alvarez v Aoki II, April 20th

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Alvarez vs. Aoki II Headlines Bellator 66


From The I-X Center in Cleveland on April 20th


 


Former Bellator Lightweight champion fights DREAM champ in highly-anticipated rematch


 


CHICAGO, Ill. (March 2, 2012) — One of the most talked about rematches in MMA is finally taking place as former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez looks to avenge his 2008 loss against DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki on Friday, April 20 LIVE from the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.



Alvarez, the Philadelphia native sports an incredible 22-3 professional record with victories over Pat Curran, Joachim Hansen, Roger Huerta and Josh Neer. After winning the Bellator Lightweight Title in Season 1, Alvarez successfully defended his belt until Bellator 58 where he was defeated by Michael Chandler in what many MMA observers are calling the “Fight of The Year” (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/uoaoCE). While the outcome isn’t what Alvarez expected, the Philadelphia Fight Factory product is ready for his next challenge.


“This really is the perfect scenario for me,” Alvarez said. “I need to redeem myself, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than avenging my loss to Aoki in 2008. I’m glad I’m able to get back on the horse and fight someone of his caliber right away.”


Aoki heads to the States fresh off his impressive New Years Eve victory with DREAM, where the 28-year-old submission specialist kept his spotless 5-0 New Years Eve record intact with a unanimous decision win. That perfect record includes his 2008 victory over Alvarez, where Aoki defeated the American with a heel hook submission early in the first round. With both lightweights ranked in the consensus Top 10, this is a fight fans will have circled on their calendar.


“Ed asked me to secure this rematch for him years ago,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “I promised I would, and now it’s official. Anytime you can put two of the world’s Top 10 Lightweights in the cage together at the pinnacle of their careers, you’ve got a very special fight on your hands – and that’s exactly what we will see in Cleveland April 20th.”


For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

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 fan of both guys, should be a great fight...

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Aoki will lose because it's in the US. in Japan I think Aoki takes it.

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Really stoked for this fight! Hope Alvarez makes a move to the UFC after this one. Phone Post

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This is the last fight on his contract... Phone Post

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 im super excited for this fight

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Get baked and watch on 4/20? Yup! Phone Post

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TheEssence - Get baked and watch on 4/20? Yup! Phone Post

Aren't you cool. Phone Post

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TheEssence - Get baked and watch on 4/20? Yup! Phone Post

I will also be combining passions that day. Phone Post

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Barry_BondsMVP -  fan of both guys, should be a great fight...


Agreed, frankly I don't want to see either go lose, because you know the morons will be out in forcing declaring how the loser was an "overrated can" and was never that good to begin with.

That's the perils of being a top fighter outside of the UFC. If you lose to anybody, no matter how good they are, than a large percentage of the fan base says you're overrated.

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Glad to see this fight going down in C-town! Ohio mma fans are second to none. This place will be rocking come 4/20! Phone Post

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nhbguy - 
Barry_BondsMVP -  fan of both guys, should be a great fight...




Agreed, frankly I don't want to see either go lose, because you know the morons will be out in forcing declaring how the loser was an "overrated can" and was never that good to begin with.



That's the perils of being a top fighter outside of the UFC. If you lose to anybody, no matter how good they are, than a large percentage of the fan base says you're overrated.


 both have solid resumes, and wasn't to long ago the LW division outside the UFC was the strongest...

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GageIsStillLegend -
TheEssence - Get baked and watch on 4/20? Yup! Phone Post

Aren't you cool. Phone Post

Yes he is. Oh 6 minutes to 4:20 btw Phone Post

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Barry_BondsMVP - 
nhbguy - 
Barry_BondsMVP -  fan of both guys, should be a great fight...


Agreed, frankly I don't want to see either go lose, because you know the morons will be out in forcing declaring how the loser was an "overrated can" and was never that good to begin with.

That's the perils of being a top fighter outside of the UFC. If you lose to anybody, no matter how good they are, than a large percentage of the fan base says you're overrated.

 both have solid resumes, and wasn't to long ago the LW division outside the UFC was the strongest...


Oh I agree 100%. Clearly both of them are top of the food chain lightweights. There resumes and skills should say it all. I was just saying that unfortunately, there are a lot of fans out there who write off anyone outside the UFC, particularly if you take a loss outside of the UFC.

Sadly, I can see the loser of this fight getting slammed, no matter what the fight looks like.

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I will make sure to purchase some green and roll a J for that fight :) Phone Post

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nhbguy - 
Barry_BondsMVP - 
nhbguy - 
Barry_BondsMVP -  fan of both guys, should be a great fight...




Agreed, frankly I don't want to see either go lose, because you know the morons will be out in forcing declaring how the loser was an "overrated can" and was never that good to begin with.



That's the perils of being a top fighter outside of the UFC. If you lose to anybody, no matter how good they are, than a large percentage of the fan base says you're overrated.


 both have solid resumes, and wasn't to long ago the LW division outside the UFC was the strongest...




Oh I agree 100%. Clearly both of them are top of the food chain lightweights. There resumes and skills should say it all. I was just saying that unfortunately, there are a lot of fans out there who write off anyone outside the UFC, particularly if you take a loss outside of the UFC.



Sadly, I can see the loser of this fight getting slammed, no matter what the fight looks like.
I was just agreeing and adding to your post was all...good stuff....

 

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nhbguy - 
Barry_BondsMVP -  fan of both guys, should be a great fight...




Agreed, frankly I don't want to see either go lose, because you know the morons will be out in forcing declaring how the loser was an "overrated can" and was never that good to begin with.



That's the perils of being a top fighter outside of the UFC. If you lose to anybody, no matter how good they are, than a large percentage of the fan base says you're overrated.


 

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why does bellator want eddie to lose 2 in a row? aoki is going to submit eddie quickly again.

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BJJkilla - why does bellator want eddie to lose 2 in a row? aoki is going to submit eddie quickly again.

I see this being a much more competitive fight this time around. This is close to a must win for Alvarez IMO and I don't see him making the same mistake twice. Not saying he will win or lose but he won't get submitted early Phone Post

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NAAFS - 
BJJkilla - why does bellator want eddie to lose 2 in a row? aoki is going to submit eddie quickly again.
I see this being a much more competitive fight this time around. This is close to a must win for Alvarez IMO and I don't see him making the same mistake twice. Not saying he will win or lose but he won't get submitted early Phone Post


It is a very interesting fight, because Eddie really does have his back against the wall. To beat Aoki you have to fight a perfectly disciplined fight. You make a single mistake with Aoki and he's breaking something. It's been said before, but Aoki has the equivalent of one punch-knockout ability with his submission game.