Eddie Alvarez vs Michael Chandler Nov. 19th at Bellator 58

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/10/13/eddie-alvarez-vs-michael-chandler-rescheduled-for-bellator-58-o/



I like this fight! If Chandler wins and stays undefeated does he belong in the top 10, or even Top 5?

bigbeastcardinal12 wrote:

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/10/13/eddie-alvarez-vs-michael-chandler-rescheduled-for-bellator-58-o/



I like this fight! If Chandler wins and stays undefeated does he belong in the top 10, or even Top 5?

9-0 with a marquee win over Alvarez, a very nice win over Friere, and 2 wins over guys who combined for 21-1 entering the fight makes for a very solid 4 fight stretch. But all the previous wins were over under .500 unknowns.


Getting close to top 10, def not top 5 yet. This is a stacked division.

Beating Alvarez would get him in the top ten by default since there is no one else outside Eddie who deserves a top ten slot besides maybe Aoki.

I've never even heard of him.

Really solid performance against Friere in the LW finals

Its getting harder and harder to stay interested in "top" fighters in non UFC orgs. I feel like the UFC gotten such a huge talent pool that they almost don't matter anymore.

Farmer1906 wrote:

Its getting harder and harder to stay interested in "top" fighters in non UFC orgs. I feel like the UFC gotten such a huge talent pool that they almost don't matter anymore.

The UFC's talent pool has grown no question, but the worlds talent pool continues to grow as well. Bellator def has some very talented guys.

captain organic wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

Its getting harder and harder to stay interested in "top" fighters in non UFC orgs. I feel like the UFC gotten such a huge talent pool that they almost don't matter anymore.

The UFC's talent pool has grown no question, but the worlds talent pool continues to grow as well. Bellator def has some very talented guys.

Chandler has looked like a great fighter in the two fights I have seen him in. I think he beats Eddie. Either way, I think he has a future in the big league.

Farmer1906 wrote:

Its getting harder and harder to stay interested in "top" fighters in non UFC orgs. I feel like the UFC gotten such a huge talent pool that they almost don't matter anymore.

I am with you on this.

Not trying to hate on Bellator or Dream or Legacy or whoever else is left, but when the UFC puts on 2-3 shows a month and has TUF I'm not staying up til 4am for Dream and looking for MTV2 on random Saturday nights and hoping to see 1-2 top 25 level fighters.

lol...has TUF. I'm sure DREAM, Bellator, and that other org have much more by way of talent then that shit...especially these last several seasons..so don't go naming off some ancient names that were good.

TUF also has a few diamonds in the rough. Wanna name fighters that made the top ten out of TUF from the last few years?

Try the last few seasons like i said...Go for it.

Bader blows. Just to move that out of the way. His only top 10 caliber when was a sloppy decision, that even you agreed with me on
Roy Nelson was already a known heavy long before TuF and only did the show for the exposure. We all know he should have been signed out right.

Now go.

Kings point still stands. if u r willing to watch 1 hr of tv to watch 1 fight, yet u don't have the time to watch Bellator then ur mma priorities are going to be questioned.

The last few years can mean pretty much anything from the beginning of TuF's existence. I have praised the earlier seasons of the show...but it's clear now it's all about loading the house with more reality show friendly "characters" and the show is mainly used to build up a fight between the coaches.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

The last few years can mean pretty much anything from the beginning of TuF's existence. I have praised the earlier seasons of the show...but it's clear now it's all about loading the house with more reality show friendly "characters" and the show is mainly used to build up a fight between the coaches.

Meat seems like a decent addition.

And I thought some of the guys from the opening show of this season had ability.


But I really don't watch so I can't really say.

But even if it was stacked with fighters, u get 2 rnds of fighting on most weeks. How does that take priority over a promotion with numerous ranked fighters?

But farmer's view on this does point to the importance of getting a good TV deal. Even with good for MTV2 ratings, they are still on MTV2. Out of sight, out of mind.

Fair enough. But TUF is UFC branded, so the best fighters and winners from that will for sure end up in the mix in the UFC. Bellator tournaments are perhaps better on talent, but the fact that the talent pool is so shallow to the point you compare Bellator to TUF as opposed to the rest of the UFC makes me less interested. I have less total energy to devote to MMA. With the death of K1 and the total failure of Dream or Sengoku to become a legitimate successor to Pride the UFC is pretty much all that is left after Strikeforce's soul is done being drained.

I miss the days of early Dream tournaments. I stayed up all night to watch the LWGP on the internet. What a classic tournament. One of the only times it felt like Dream was on Pride's level. Non UFC MMA never generates that kind of interest for me outside of Strikeforce anymore.

Has TUF been any good besides that cool first episode?

captain organic wrote:

Kings point still stands. if u r willing to watch 1 hr of tv to watch 1 fight, yet u don't have the time to watch Bellator then ur mma priorities are going to be questioned.

Exactly.

I'm not getting on Farmer for not being interested in going out of his way to watch other MMA orgs, on the surface i would say he is 100% right since UFC is still sucking the blood out of Strikeforce and getting the majority of the top non-UFC fighters...thats for now though. Being a top fighter is not something that goes on for years. That is only for a few. A new crop of talent will pop up, and it has already begun and there is still a platform that is not UFC that will likely get bigger and more talented as much as some people don't want that. Bellator has already jumped on a few NCAA national champions...Jenkins, Larkin, and of course Askren. They also have almost fuck proof contracts like the UFC. If you don't see it now, you'll be seeing it very soon..and if not then you'll probably simply be avoiding it on purpose.

I do understand where Farmer and Wolf are coming from when it comes to UFC cards taking all the MMA out of them but the "we got TUF" thing seemed inappropriate. Obviously you would get loads more potential, talent and of course WAY better fights on Bellator once a week.

Schaub also made the top ten and inside the UFC he was like literally top five at the time with SF having half the ranked guys over the last couple years. But I'd rather watch Bellator myself. When have I ever really watched TUF anyway? With that said, I don't blame farmer or other fans for not caring about Bellator even if they watch TUF.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Schaub also made the top ten and inside the UFC he was like literally top five at the time with SF having half the ranked guys over the last couple years. But I'd rather watch Bellator myself. When have I ever really watched TUF anyway? With that said, I don't blame farmer or other fans for not caring about Bellator even if they watch TUF.

Ugh...how?

Listen, i'm not saying they are all scrubs but i don't believe those two guys for the HW season are anything to write home about as you guys know. I'm sure Schuab was in some top 10(not mine) but definitely not for beating any top 10 caliber fighters. Bellator has more than a few to write home about for now and the future.

I'll admit i was somewhat impressed by Fergusen..which i expressed in the 135 review thread, but too soon to call him a TUF success since Efrain looked totally legit at first as well. I might give you Pierson, though i'm not sure if he ever cracked a top 10. I think he was a good find through TUF...but the Amir's. the Brookins. Ugh. Bader just loses cred with me through the sheer overratedness...but obviously he looked pretty godly next to some of the recent fighters employed through TUF

I will admit outside of Eddie, Lombard, Aok...im guessing Nate Marqaurdt as well..immediate top fighters or names are currently in the UFC or being soaked out of SF. If that is what you are looking for is current names and the rest can call you when they are in the UFC, i have no problem with that. I just think if you take the time to watch, you'll find what you are looking for if you want legit talent and top level prospects. It's available. All these names the UFC got from smashing SF built their names outside the UFC, it's lame to assume that it won't happen again..and pretty quick...depending on where not just Bellator but any org ends up TV wise.

I used to love seeking the best non UFC MMA out there but lately I care less and less. Don't know why but the lack of marquee names to fill cards out makes it harder to appreciate the prospects featured as well, I suppose. Also, Bellator and the UFC existing in completely separate bubbles isn't great for my interest either. I will watch this Eddie Alvarez fight. But any fight this guy has against non top ten talent is a joke here honestly. He's been a top name since 2008. I cannot wait for him to leave Bellator.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Fair enough. But TUF is UFC branded, so the best fighters and winners from that will for sure end up in the mix in the UFC. Bellator tournaments are perhaps better on talent, but the fact that the talent pool is so shallow to the point you compare Bellator to TUF as opposed to the rest of the UFC makes me less interested. I have less total energy to devote to MMA. With the death of K1 and the total failure of Dream or Sengoku to become a legitimate successor to Pride the UFC is pretty much all that is left after Strikeforce's soul is done being drained.

I miss the days of early Dream tournaments. I stayed up all night to watch the LWGP on the internet. What a classic tournament. One of the only times it felt like Dream was on Pride's level. Non UFC MMA never generates that kind of interest for me outside of Strikeforce anymore.

Has TUF been any good besides that cool first episode?

The bellator to TUF comparison was only made to counter Farmers preference to watch the latter. Cause in terms of pure MMA there is no comparison. Bellator trounces tuf in terms of # of fights per show, depth of talent, top end talent, lack of cheese and so on.

And this is not to say I also don't have that feeling of the non UFC MMA landscape having been cleaned out by the purchase of SF and the merger with the WEC. And I also have trouble finding the time to sit and watch Bellator on many Saturday nights(though likewise I haven't sat and watched a live UFC event in a bit either) But I think once the smoke clears in terms of jockeying for TV deals we will see various organizations rising in the wake of the SF purchase, getting exposure on Spike or Vs or Showtime or possibly now HBO, and there will be non zuffa hype once again.

It's not like it took a long time for SF to go from Elite's little brother to a company that had arguably more top hwy's then the UFC did. Shit it was like a year ago that I was arguing against half this board that SF was the 2nd biggest org in the world. Bunch of guys had them at 3.

IMO we are still no where near the point where the UFC is the only game in town.

Nice post capt. I agree with everything there. I also have trouble finding time to watch Bellator..usually because they run their shows opposite the UFC and also because i don't get MTV2 and finding a stream when there are not many out there is kind of like going out of your way to find a shitty quality stream so i typically wait until later to cherry pick the fights that were said to be the best.

Now as for the actual fight that we're supposed to be discussing. It's very interesting and it is a legit test for Alvarez.

Everybody always says "well we have not seen (insert fighter) against a strong wrestler" well, thats exactly what Michael Chandler is and if Chandler fought and beat the same exact guys he did in the tourny with UFC gloves on Spike, VS. or a UFC undercard, people would not be scoffing at him considering the hard on for wrestlers. As you can see...some that HAVE watched Chandler are even picking him to beat Alvarez.

If you have not heard of him, it's only because you have not done your homework..not because he's not a legit fight style and talent wise for Eddie Alvarez. If all you care about are top 10 this and top 10 that, fine...but Eddie being a top 10 guys..we will definitely learn something more about Eddie Alvarez in this fight, win or lose because Chandler will test Eddie in many places he has not been tested enough.

I think Eddie is more than game(and a bit too experienced) and will be able to score the TKO or sub...could get interesting in a decision situation.