Bellator 66 Eddie Alvarez VS Shinya Aoki

Lightweight Super Fight

Eddie Alverez
22-3-0
27 yr
5'10
155
Philadelphia Fight Factory
Fight Style: Freestyle Wrestling/ Boxing
Strengths: Boxing, KO Power, Submissions
Last 3 wins: Pat Curran, Roger Huerta, Josh Neer
Last 3 losses: Michael Chandler, Shinya Aoki, Nick Thompson

Shinya Aoki
"Tobikan Judan"
30-5-2
28yr
5'11
155
Paraestra Tokyo / Evolve MMA
Fight Style: Jiu jitsu/ Judo
Strengths: Submission, Grappling, Takedowns
Last 3 Wins: Satoru Kitaoka, Rob McCullough, Rich Clementi
Last 3 losses: Gilbert Melendez, Gilbert Melendez, Joachim Hansen

So who will win?

Also on the card:
Middleweight Semifinal: Brian Rogers Vs Bruno Santos
Middleweight Semifinal: Vyacheslav Vasilevsky Vs Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves
Lightweight Semifinal: Rick Hawn Vs Lloyd Woodard
Lightweight Semifinal: Thiago Michel Pereira Silva Vs Brent Weedman

I'll take Aoki via decision, they gay cage and rules will tame him.

Aoki sub rnd 2

i want Alvarez to win but my gut says Aoki takes it again.

after the last time they fought i always thought it was interesting because Aoki gave Alvarez his first submission loss which Alvarez then went to rebound from with his own first real submission of an opponent (he'd made a couple guys tap to strikes but Alvarez got his first choke out after he tangoed with Aoki). in fact, Alvarez's next 5 wins after the Aoki loss were all submissions actually.

i guess i always felt that Aoki kind of indirectly turned Alvarez into a real mixed martial artist.

anyways it'll be interesting to see how Alvarez bounces back from his loss to Chandler.

Eddie's gonna drop him. Shinya needs to keep his ass inside ropes. I'm saying TKO because I don't reckon Shinya will be asleep.

aoki is 1 and 1 in the cage.

Aoki via submission. Great matchup!

Shinya Aoki willing to snap a limb in Bellator 66 headliner with Eddie Alvarez

Like so many of his countrymen, Shinya Aoki is determined to prove Japanese fighters are still among the world's best.

In fact, when he meets Eddie Alvarez in the headliner of Friday's Bellator 66 event, the submission specialist is willing to win at all costs.

"It doesn't bother me when I feel my opponents' bones break," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "But I'm not aiming to break the bones. I'm just looking for a win."

Aoki (30-5 MMA, 0-0 BFC), who delivered Alvarez (22-3 MMA, 6-1 BFC) just his second career loss back at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2008," now rematches the fellow lightweight notable in Friday's MTV2-televised main event. Bellator 66 takes place at the I-X Center in Cleveland, and the 155-pound headliner boasts the biggest starpower the organization's yet seen in its current sixth season.

Sure, the fight would be a bit more substantial if Alvarez hadn't lost his Bellator belt to Michael Chandler back in November. But we're still talking about two longtime vets who are a combined 17-2 in their past 19 fights. Both also have been longtime fixtures in the division's top-10 world rankings.

But this time around, Aoki expects a different Alvarez than the one he tapped with a heel hook three-and-a-half years ago in Japan.

"I believe Eddie Alvarez and I have both evolved as different fighters," he said. "I'm more confident in my standup skills with the hard training with Muay Thai champions at Evolve MMA gym in Singapore.

"And what makes Eddie dangerous is the power in his hands and his wrestling skill. He mixes these skills well and executes the game plan effectively."

Unlike many other Japanese fighters, Aoki hasn't been lured to the U.S. on a full-time basis. He's made the occasional trip with Strikeforce and now with Bellator, but he's been a critic of the UFC. He prefers to fight in Japan, even as the country's major organizations have seemingly shut down (such as World Victory Road/Sengoku) or gone months without an event (including DREAM, where he's the organization's reigning titleholder).

Japanese MMA may be on life support, but Aoki wants to prove the talent is still there.

"My main goal in this fight with Eddie Alvarez is to prove myself and Japanese MMA are still at the top level," he said. "I'd like to show my style is MMA, not just grappling or striking."

The way he does that, he said, is intense training sessions. Drilling technique is important, but at some point, training sessions need to mimic fight conditions.

That, he said, is what prepares him for tough opponents like Alvarez. It's led Aoki to 22 stoppages in 30 career wins, and he's expects No. 23 on Friday.

"You can't do things in an actual fight that you haven't done in the training," he said. "I feel like my finishing instinct comes from all of my hard work in the gym."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28300/shinya-aoki-willing-to-snap-a-limb-in-bellator-66-headliner-with-eddie-alvarez.mma

Bellator 66 weigh-in results: Eddie Alvarez (154.5), Shinya Aoki (154.5) on weight

Official Bellator 66 fighter weigh-ins took place today, and all fighters easily made weight.

Today's festivities took place at Great Lakes Ballroom at Cleveland's I-X Center.

Both Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki were on weight for their highly anticipated rematch in Bellator 66's headliner. Both fighters weighed 154.5 pounds.

Bellator 66 takes place Friday at the I-X Center. The main card airs on MTV2, and prelims can be watched on MMAjunkie.com or Spike.com.

In addition to the main event, all fighters from the card's quartet of tournaments fights also made weight. They included the fighters in the lightweight-tournament semifinals: Rick Hawn (155) vs. Lloyd Woodard (154.5) and Thiago Michel (154.5) vs. Brent Weedman (155). They also included the middleweight-tournament-semifinal competitors: Brian Rogers (185) vs. Andreas Spang (185) and Maiquel Falcao (185) vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (185.5).

Although Rogers and Spang had a brief dust-up, the fighters were quickly separated.

The full Bellator 66 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (MTV2)

Eddie Alvarez (154.5) vs. Shinya Aoki (154.5)
Brian Rogers (185) vs. Andreas Spang (185)
Maiquel Falcao (185) vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (185.5)
Rick Hawn (155) vs. Lloyd Woodard (154.5)
Thiago Michel (154.5) vs. Brent Weedman (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie.com and Spike.com)

Jessica Eye (130) vs. Anita Rodriguez (130.5) - 131-pound catchweight
John Hawk (203.5) vs. Marcus Vanttinen (205)
Dan Spohn (204) vs. Attila Vegh (200)
Frank Carabello (145) vs. Donny Walker (144)
Joe Heiland (155) vs. Julian Lane (155)