Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today announced in a press release that the promotion has re-signed Eddie Alvarez and he’s set to rematch Michael Chandler at Bellator 106. Here’s what Rebney said: “I’ve been cageside for more live fights than almost anyone on the planet,” Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney said. “Without question, Chandler vs. Alvarez was the best MMA fight I’ve ever seen. I’m excited to be able to deliver this rematch to MMA fans. It’s been a long time coming and we’ve had to jump over a lot of hurdles to get this done, but from the day we announced our PPV I promised fans that this card was going to be the deepest we’ve ever done, and we are well on our way. This is just the start.” This is an amazing matchup and will be one of the most-anticipated MMA matchups for the second half of 2013 based on the fact their first match at Bellator 58 is considered by the fans to be one of the best fights in the past five years. It is somewhat surprising that Alvarez is getting a title shot without winning a second Bellator tournament, but the promotion recently amended their rules to allow for fights like this to happen and I’m definitely excited that they were able to come to terms with Alvarez and make this match. Considering Alvarez lost the first matchup between these two, he will likely enter this bout as a slight underdog. I’m capping Chandler at -150 with the comeback on Alvarez at +120 and if that’s the way the line opens I’d probably just pass because this is too close of a fight to call in my opinion and I’d rather just watch as a fan. Hettes vs. Wilkinson Added To UFC Manchester One other note to pass long and it’s that the UFC has added a featherweight matchup between Jimy Hettes and Mike Wilkinson to this October’s UFC Manchester event. This seems like a very favorable matchup for Hettes as Wilkinson showed in his recent loss to Rony Jason that he has problems on the ground and Hettes is an absolute wizard on the mat. The one knock going against Hettes here is a long layoff but he should still win this fight. I can Hettes at -300 for this matchup withe the comeback on Wilkinson +250 or so, and I will likely be using Hettes in my parlays for that card.
