How good are Alvarez and Chandler?

vs.

Gilbert Melendez
Josh Thompson
Pat Healy
KJ Noons
JZ
Bendo
Frankie Edgar
Gray Maynard
Anthony Pettis
Melvin Guillard
Jeremy Stephens
Jim Miller
Nate Diaz
Clay Guida
Donald Cerrone
Edson Barboza
Evan Dunham

Alvarez

Gilbert Melendez- Loss
Josh Thompson-Win
Pat Healy-Win
KJ Noons-Win
JZ-Win
Bendo-Loss
Frankie Edgar-Loss
Gray Maynard-Loss
Anthony Pettis-Loss
Melvin Guillard-Win
Jeremy Stephens-Win
Jim Miller-Win
Nate Diaz-Loss
Clay Guida-Win
Donald Cerrone-Loss
Edson Barboza-Loss
Evan Dunham-Win

Chandler

Gilbert Melendez-Loss
Josh Thompson-Win
Pat Healy-Win
KJ Noons-Win
JZ-Win
Bendo-Loss
Frankie Edgar-Loss
Gray Maynard-Loss
Anthony Pettis-Loss
Melvin Guillard-Win
Jeremy Stephens-Win
Jim Miller-Loss
Nate Diaz-Win
Clay Guida-Win
Donald Cerrone-Win
Edson Barboza-Win
Evan Dunham-Win

Both Alvarez and Chandler clear cut top tens?

It's hard to say in the lightweight division. Guys have been ousted from the top ten without even losing because it's just so deep ala Sean Sherk after beating Dunham. I have both in My top ten currently especially after that performance against Aoki Eddie had. "Clear cut" top ten at lightweight is really only reserved for the top five or six guys because it's indisputable. Anything beyond that is really just opinion based.

After Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Gilbert Melendez, Clay Guida, and Anthony Pettis it's really anyone's guess who will end up in the remaining slots depending on the person making the list.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Both Alvarez and Chandler clear cut top tens?

Yes.

Even I have them both in my top 10

01. Ben Henderson
02. Frankie Edgar
03. Gray Maynard
04. Gilbert Melendez
05. Clay Guida
06. Anthony Pettis
07. Michael Chandler
08. Eddie Alvarez
09. Jim Miller
10. Nate Diaz

Eddie

Gilbert Melendez - L
Josh Thompson - W
Pat Healy - W
KJ Noons - W
JZ - W
Bendo - L
Frankie Edgar - L
Gray Maynard - L
Anthony Pettis - L
Melvin Guillard - L
Jeremy Stephens - W
Jim Miller - L
Nate Diaz - L
Clay Guida - L
Donald Cerrone - L
Edson Barboza - W
Evan Dunham - L

Farmer1906 wrote:

Eddie

Gilbert Melendez - L
Josh Thompson - W
Pat Healy - W
KJ Noons - W
JZ - W
Bendo - L
Frankie Edgar - L
Gray Maynard - L
Anthony Pettis - L
Melvin Guillard - L
Jeremy Stephens - W
Jim Miller - L
Nate Diaz - L
Clay Guida - L
Donald Cerrone - L
Edson Barboza - W
Evan Dunham - L

So basically you got him losin' to at least ten UFC fighters alone, forget the rest of the division. I think you're being a little tough on him. What about Chandler.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Farmer1906 wrote:

Eddie

Gilbert Melendez - L
Josh Thompson - W
Pat Healy - W
KJ Noons - W
JZ - W
Bendo - L
Frankie Edgar - L
Gray Maynard - L
Anthony Pettis - L
Melvin Guillard - L
Jeremy Stephens - W
Jim Miller - L
Nate Diaz - L
Clay Guida - L
Donald Cerrone - L
Edson Barboza - W
Evan Dunham - L

So basically you got him losin' to at least ten UFC fighters alone, forget the rest of the division. I think you're being a little tough on him. What about Chandler.

I have him just outside my top 10 and all the guys you listed are above him IMO.

Chandler is probably similar. I have him losing to the top guys in the division Edgar, Bendo, Maynard, Petttis, and Gil for sure. He may beat , Cerrone, Dunham, and Guillard, but lose to Barboza.

Chandler is a beast. Farmer do some tape-time on him. He really impresses me. He is at Alliance MMA now, which should help him continue to improve with all the high quality sparring partners in that gym these days. I wonder if he might not end up at FW eventually. He's the kind of young and explosive fighter with elite wrestling and athletic striking that Aldo needs to take on.

Look, I like Rick Hawn and could see him putting something together but he isn't elite yet. Weedman is not a legitimate top tier fighter and I don't see him ever becoming one. Neither have the potential of Chandler.

I wonder how long Chandler will have to fight in Bellator before he can move up to the UFC or Strikeforce.

Chandler is an animal. That guy is a future UFC belt holder

Eddie- I like a lot and could really beat anybody at 155 but there's also a shit ton of dudes who could rock him. You can't keep decked every fight and expect to recover

Maybe I need to give Chandler another look. I usually don't see him live and catch replays that don't always get my 100% attention.

bobbitt15 wrote:

Chandler is an animal. That guy is a future UFC belt holder

Eddie- I like a lot and could really beat anybody at 155 but there's also a shit ton of dudes who could rock him. You can't keep decked every fight and expect to recover

That is how I feel.

Melendez would have killed Eddie to death had they fought with as accessible as his chin is. He boxes too clean and is too well rounded.

But Eddie would murk Edgar or Maynard based on their performances in the last year and a half. I think Edgar would face the kind of beating Maynard put on him for 5 rounds instead of just 1 and I don't think he'd have enough power to put Eddie away if he caught him. Alvarez gets tagged but would survive and finish.

Maynard would be dangerous early on but has shown he fades if he can't seal the deal. Eddie Alvarez would feast on a fading Maynard and lay his ass out in the third round. I am less into Maynard than I used to be.

I think guys who hit particularly hard are much more dangerous for Alvarez than guys who don't. Miller, Guida, Bocek, Tibau, Wiman, Florian, Sherk, Dunham etc are less dangerous match ups than Guilliard, Stephens, Pettis, Diaz, Barboza etc for this reason. Even if Jim Miller or Clay Guida are ranked significantly higher than Jeremy Stephens or Melvin Guilliard.

Farmer1906 wrote:

Maybe I need to give Chandler another look. I usually don't see him live and catch replays that don't always get my 100% attention.

Ya mang. That is why I was late to the Chandler party. Have you sat down and watched that fight with Alvarez?

I think Chandler has a chance to walk into the UFC right now and become UFC Champion. I think Maynard vs Chandler would be a great fight. Would be a pickem matchup IMO. I give him the same odds vs Frankie. I actually think Bendo would be his toughest matchup.

Chandler
vs.

Gilbert Melendez- W. Call me crazy, but I'm going Chandler.
Bendo-L. Toughtest matchup for Chandler.
Frankie Edgar- L. 50-50. But on a hunch at the moment, I'll say Frankie.
Gray Maynard-W. 50-50 again. But for now, I'll say Chandler.
Anthony Pettis- W. tough fight
Melvin Guillard- W
Jim Miller- W
Nate Diaz- W
Clay Guida-W
Donald Cerrone-W
Edson Barboza-W
Evan Dunham-W

OU wrote:

Chandler
vs.

Gilbert Melendez- W. Call me crazy, but I'm going Chandler.
Bendo-L. Toughtest matchup for Chandler.
Frankie Edgar- L. 50-50. But on a hunch at the moment, I'll say Frankie.
Gray Maynard-W. 50-50 again. But for now, I'll say Chandler.
Anthony Pettis- W. tough fight
Melvin Guillard- W
Jim Miller- W
Nate Diaz- W
Clay Guida-W
Donald Cerrone-W
Edson Barboza-W
Evan Dunham-W

You think Chandler is the 3rd best LHW in the world?

Farmer1906 wrote:

OU wrote:

Chandler
vs.

Gilbert Melendez- W. Call me crazy, but I'm going Chandler.
Bendo-L. Toughtest matchup for Chandler.
Frankie Edgar- L. 50-50. But on a hunch at the moment, I'll say Frankie.
Gray Maynard-W. 50-50 again. But for now, I'll say Chandler.
Anthony Pettis- W. tough fight
Melvin Guillard- W
Jim Miller- W
Nate Diaz- W
Clay Guida-W
Donald Cerrone-W
Edson Barboza-W
Evan Dunham-W

You think Chandler is the 3rd best LHW in the world?

He very well could be, yes. He is legit.

freakzilla wrote:

Even I have them both in my top 10

01. Ben Henderson
02. Frankie Edgar
03. Gray Maynard
04. Gilbert Melendez
05. Clay Guida
06. Anthony Pettis
07. Michael Chandler
08. Eddie Alvarez
09. Jim Miller
10. Nate Diaz

See? Even Freak is on board with this and he's never even seen Bellator!

Dana's special guest.