Eddie Alvarez to face Patricky 'Pitbull' in what could be last Bellator fight

Former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez

Former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will return to action against Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. The contest will be a featured bout on the main card of Bellator 76, which takes place Oct. 12 at the Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino in Windsor, Ontario.

Alvarez made his promotional debut on Bellator’s very first show. On that night, he defeated Greg Loughran. He went on the blitz the rest of the tournament field and claim the inaugural lightweight title. He defended the belt once with a five-round decision victory over featherweight champion Pat Curran and scored non-title victories over Roger Huerta and Josh Neer. Last fall, Alvarez dropped the belt to Michael Chandler in a fight that many considered fight of the year. Since losing his belt, Alvarez stopped Dream champion Shinya Aoki in the first round at Bellator 66.

According to a variety of reports, this will be Alvarez’s last fight on his contract.

Initial reports coming out of Brazil had Freire a step behind his younger brother, and featherweight contender, Patricio Freire. However, he made a name for himself in his Bellator debut. He starched former WEC champion Rob McCullough with a clean knockout. He has also picked up highlight-reel knockouts of Toby Imada and Kurt Pellegrino while fighting for Bellator. Despite the flashy finishes in the promotion, “Pitbull” has been unable to claim a tournament title during his run.

Bellator 76 will be part of the promotion’s seventh season which is expected to begin this fall.