Eddie Alvarez on Bellator XII: ‘This will be my absolute best performance to date’

Eddie Alvarez is just one win away from capturing the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. With less than one week remaining until the season ending Bellator XII event at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL, the lightweight contender is preparing for the fight of his life. Alvarez (17-2) will take on Toby Imada (22-12) for a championship purse of $175,000 and the right to hold the first ever Bellator Lightweight World Championship title.



“This will be my best performance to date, I plan on going out and displaying every act of MMA, to show the viewers that don’t know what MMA is and don’t quite understand the sport…I want to display that Bellator fighting is here to stay and we’re going to put on exciting shows,” said Alvarez.

The 155 lb striker will take on Toby Imada in the headlining bout on June 19th in front of a packed house to close out the inaugural Bellator tournament season. The match up comes just weeks after both Alvarez and Imada respectively demolished their opponents at Bellator V in Dayton, OH. Alvarez managed to defeat Eric Reynolds via 3rd round rear naked choke while Imada unleashed the inverted triangle choke upon the stunned Jorge Masvidal to secure his title shot. The Philadelphia fight factory star will look to take home the first ever Bellator Fighting Championships Lightweight World Championship title in the same arena where his Bellator career began just three months earlier.

“I’m very self motivated, I’m very confident and I believe in my abilities to perform at a high level all the time,” said Alvarez.

It will take a very high level of performance from Alvarez when up against Imada on June 19th. His 30-year-old veteran opponent is perhaps best known for his submission of the year highlight victory over the heavily favor Jorge Masvidal. The tremendously athletic win is a sign that Imada wants the title more than anything and will stop short of nothing to achieve that honor. In his previous tournament victories Alvarez has been able to pace himself and control his opponents, ultimately choosing the exact moment that he wanted to end the fight and has effectively carried out each finish on command. Alvarez will headline the Lightweight World Championship at Bellator XII on June 19th in Hollywood FL. The fight will broadcast in primetime Saturday June 20th on ESPN Deportes.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that come June 19th that I’ll have my title and will continue to be a champion of Bellator,” said Alvarez.

Hector Lombard Looks Unstoppable Heading into Bellator Middleweight World Championship

Former Cuban Olympian Hector “Shango” Lombard has been on the warpath of late. The 185lb Judoku has recently annihilated two tournament opponents in less than five minutes combined. On June 19th, Lombard will step into the cage to take on undefeated wrestler Jared Hess for a $175,000 and the first ever Bellator Middleweight World Championship title. The headlining title fight will be featured back-to-back with the Lightweight World Championship bout between Eddie Alvarez and Toby Imada, both fights will be broadcast in primetime on ESPN Deportes Saturday June 20.



“Hector is one of those fighters that leaves fans breathless every time he fights, said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney.“ He is a very skilled fighter and has proving that thus far in the tournament.”

Lombard will enter his third fight in less than three months brandishing a record of 20-2-1, with 10 wins coming by way of knockout. His undefeated opponent, Jared Hess (8-0-1), is a former All-American wrestler from University of Central Oklahoma and has five stunning submission in his unblemished fight resume. Given the circumstance of his last two appearances, Lombard looks more like an unstoppable freight train than the former Australian league MMA champion. Lombard handily defeated first round opponent Virgil Lozano with a strong first round uppercut at Bellator IV in Oklahoma back in mid-April. His next bout came against the then-10-2 Army Ranger Damien Stelly three weeks ago at Bellator IX in Monroe, LA. Lombard was able to pulverize Stelly with flurry of fists and ended the one-sided bout just under the three minute mark of round one.

The explosive Middleweight will have to stay focused to defeat Hess and lay claim the 185lb title in tournament finale at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL. While both of Lombard’s previous losses have come via decision, early Bellator bout have proven that upsets can happen when you least expect them especially when facing a crafty submission artist like Hess. It’s a fact that Lombard holds the clear-cut edge in the striking game but his opponent did not earn a shot at the title by being a pushover and will look to end the fight on ground.

Hector Lombard will face Jared Hess for $175,000 and the first ever Bellator Middleweight World Championship bout on June 19th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. The fight will be broadcast in primetime on Saturday June 20, exclusively on ESPN Deportes.