He has faced a lower tier of competition
Building off of reason No. 2, this final dynamic could be the most telling one if and when Alvarez fails to rise to the top of the UFC 155-pound landscape.
Alvarez’ record is no doubt a shining one, as he only has three losses in 28 total fights, but he hasn’t exactly fought the best competition while doing so. Chandler would have to be considered the most currently relevant fighter that is on his list of recent wins, but his victory was a hotly debated split decision.
He also lost a brutal submission to Chandler in their classic war at Bellator 58 back in late 2011.
Chandler’s loss to Brooks cheapens that victory, and his wins over Aoki, Freire, Pat Curran, Josh Neer, and Roger Huerta are nice, but they are just not competition anywhere near the level of that he’ll soon be facing in the Octagon.
They’re miles away in fact, and Alvarez won’t be presented with anything close to a tune-up fight in the UFC. He’ll come in hot against Cerrone, who has four straight bonus winning finishes since UFC 167 last November.
If Alvarez does what many are predicting him not to do and smokes Cerrone, then we’ll know his hype was real.
On the other hand, if he comes out and becomes another name on Cerrone’s hit list, then we’ll see just how far the UFC is ahead of Bellator in terms of overall skill level.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts!
