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After Tough Debut, It Won’t Get Any Easier For Eddie Alvarez At UFC Fight Night 59

By @RickLaFitte

 

Eiddie Alvarez punches Donald Cerrone during UFC 178 lightweight clash

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Two lightweights with championship pedigrees will get a bounce-back opportunity against one another at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston. Eddie Alvarez will battle Benson Henderson in what stacks up as a spectacular co-main event for the January card. Alvarez is a former two-time Bellator lightweight champion, while Henderson is a former UFC 155-pound titlist.

Alvarez had an unsuccessful Octagon debut against Donald Cerrone at UFC 178. After an impressive opening round, he was outgunned in the final two rounds to drop a unanimous decision. It was just his second defeat in 12 fights. Despite the setback, his competitive effort in an exciting bout has him sitting at no. 10 in the rankings. While it certainly wasn’t the favourable first impression that Alvarez was hoping to make, he at least landed another high-profile assignment.

The former Bellator kingpin was quickly inked by the UFC after being granted his unconditional release in August. He has an impressive 25-4 career mark and is probably best known for his two incredible title matchups against Michael Chandler. Alvarez is a proven all-action warrior who has produced 21 finishes by knockout or submission.

Henderson captured lightweight gold at UFC 144 by defeating Frankie Edgar and made three successful title defenses before losing his belt to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164. “Smooth” rebounded with back-to-back wins over Josh Thomson and Rustam Khabilov before sustaining a significant setback his last time out. Henderson was stopped via strikes for the first time in his career at Fight Night 49 in Oklahoma by Rafael dos Anjos.

The stunning first-round knockout loss against the surging Brazilian dropped Henderson down the ladder to his current no. 5 ranking. It seriously jeopardized his chances of getting back into title contention anytime soon. Henderson is contemplating a potential move to welterweight in 2015, but for now gets a solid test against the motivated Alvarez. Henderson has gone 9-2 during his Octagon tenure and is one of the most physically imposing 155-pound competitors in the organization.

The only negative that can be found for such a solid pairing is that it’s unfortunately not a five-round main event. The Jan. 18 card is headlined by a featherweight clash between Conor McGregor and Dennis Siver. Both Alvarez and Henderson are used to 25-minute battles, so they’ll definitely be able to push a fast, entertaining pace for a three-rounder.

Alvarez felt that he was more than ready to test himself in the sport’s no. 1 promotion at this stage of his career, he fell short against Cerrone and the next test against Henderson won’t be any easier.

Rick LaFitte is an MMA Writer for Rant Sports

 

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