Woke up this morning to word that there is talk of a fight between UFC contender Donald Cerrone and Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. It is an interesting match, though it probably should not and won’t happen.
Cerrone would have height and reach advantages that would be noticeable, but Alvarez is a top tier fighter who has dealt with bigger, taller opponents his whole career. Alvarez is a big puncher who can end the fight with a big punch or string together a very fast flurry of punches that do the job if he gets you hurt. He is tough and resilient, and he will have to be, as Cerrone can dish out the punishment.
For Cerrone, he has been on a tear again after having a flat streak that saw him drop out of the top 5 contenders. he is aggressive and has a mean streak, and is exactly the perfect doorman from the UFC’s perspective to meet Alvarez on the way in. He will be motivated for what is a big fight, and if he wins, he gets a huge bump in prestige as a Bellator slayer. The UFC can claim their mid tier talent wiped out the Bellator champion if all goes well.
The match could go either way at the sport books, with the slight favorite to open likely leaning towards Alvarez, a proven winner who has a great trach record in big fights. Though he has never been in the UFC, his competition level is the equal of anyone on the UFC’s roster.
The rumor exists because Scott Coker is running the show of Bellator now, and though he tends toward the non-descript in press conferences, he does work behind the scenes and he is a former Strikeforce/UFC employee so you assume the channels of communication are open.
But why would Bellator send their poster boy and Champion in against a mid to top level UFC Lightweight? Should Alvarez lose, it would send the clear message that the UFC’s roster is better, while an Alvarez win would not answer much about Bellator’s problems, which are roster depth and overall talent. And why would the major competing media companies backing both companies all of a sudden decide to work together? Though the match would be a must see, pass on it happening anytime soon, the lawyers will crush it.
