Michael Chandler happy to have trilogy bout with Eddie Alvarez

When two fighters put on two of the greatest fights ever seen in MMA history…who wouldn’t want to see a third and final bout?

This is the case with two of the lightweight division’s very best, Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez.

Meeting for the very first time in 2011, Chandler was the lightweight tournament winner and Alvarez was the reigning champion.

Not being given much a chance, Chandler went out there and put on an instant classic with his adversary and wound up pulling off the upset to cap off an incredible evening of action.

Two years later they would meet again. This time the war went to the judge’s scorecards and Alvarez had regained his title.

Now with Alvarez having gone through the UFC and becoming champion, he finds himself once again as a free agent opening up the possibility to return to Bellator where he achieved his highest success prior.

Bellator president Scott Coker is certainly open to the idea of bringing Alvarez back and Chandler too is definitely interested in finishing what they started as he recently told MMAJunkie.

“I have a ton of respect for him as a fighter, and I just want to see the best for him. If that means staying with the UFC, I hope he stays in the UFC. If that means coming to Bellator, I would love to welcome him to Bellator and finish that trilogy. There’s not a day that’s gone by recently since he announced that this last fight was the last fight on his contract, that people haven’t stopped talking about the trilogy.

People are putting videos out there and asking the ‘What-ifs’ and whatnot. I got a ton of respect for the guy. He fights for the right reasons, he fights like a dog and I’d love to share the cage with him again.”

Since their second meeting, Chandler has gone 6-3 while Alvarez has gone 3-3 (1 NC).

It’s hard not to admire what ‘The Underground King’ Alvarez has achieved throughout his career and even Chandler agrees.

“There’s not a guy that I respect in this sport more than Eddie Alvarez. When you share 50 minutes inside a cage – I’ve got a scar on my lip that he gave me, I’ve got another scar on my eyebrow that he gave me. I could look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘That’s from that guy, that’s from that guy.’ Eddie put it on me here and there. Being 1-1, me finishing him the first fight, him beating me in the second fight; Eddie’s just a warrior. He’s been Bellator champion, he’s been UFC champion. He’s been champion in every major organization in the entire world.”

on 8/20/2018