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UFC 291 | Four Kings of Lightweight Violence – A History
The main event of UFC 291 will see the ninth chapter of a saga that has spanned more than a decade at 155lbs. Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez have all shared the cage with one another over the years. Each and every time, they have left the cage covered in blood. Now, it’s time etch another notch in the story of the Four Kings of Lightweight Violence, uniting it with the BMF title.
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Eddie Alvarez vs Michael Chandler – Bellator 58 (Nov. 19, 2011)
The first chapter of the saga kicked off in 2011, with the Bellator lightweight title up for grabs. Reigning champion Eddie Alvarez was set to defend his belt for the second time. His opponent on the night was undefeated challenger Michael Chandler, who had picked up six finishes in his first eight wins. Right from the bat, both men came out swinging. They traded shots for three rounds, bloodying the canvas in the process. Chandler finally got the better of his more experienced opponent in the fourth, synching in a brutal rear-naked-choke. With the win, ‘Iron Mike’ began his first reign as Bellator champion.
Michael Chandler vs Eddie Alvarez – Bellator 106 (Nov. 2, 2013)
Two years later, the pair met in a rematch. Alvarez, dead set for revenge, made sure that this affair didn’t end like the last. The bout went on for five excruciating rounds, swinging in momentum, just like the first. In the end, a split decision was awarded to Alvarez, but neither man’s stock dropped an inch. The trilogy between these two would never come to be, as the two-time champ Alvarez was off to the UFC.
Eddie Alvarez vs Dustin Poirier – UFC 211 (May 13, 2017)
Once Alvarez’ time as UFC lightweight champion came to a close, he met Dustin Poirier for the first time. From the opening bell, Poirier came out aggressive and seemed to have Alvarez in danger. The Philly tough Alvarez persevered, however, and turned the tide in the second round. The bout ended in an unfortunate manner; an illegal knee from Alvarez rendered Poirier unable to continue, meaning it ended in a no contest.
Eddie Alvarez vs Justin Gaethje – UFC 218 (Dec. 2, 2017)
When WSOF’s Justin Gaethje successfully arrived on the UFC scene, he targeted a bout with Alvarez. The pair agreed to throw down for the distinction of being the ‘most violent’ fighter. Gaethje battered Alvarez’ legs with kicks and left his jaw swollen, but repeated body shots and a knee to the chin led to Alvarez becoming becoming the first man to beat Gaethje. The bout was one of the very best of the year.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje – UFC on FOX 29 (Apr. 14, 2018)
Gaethje seeked redemption in his next outing, taking on Poirier in his home state of Arizona. The pair dragged the fight late into the championship rounds, with Poirier limping from a torn quad inflicted by Gaethje. Poirier would find the mark with a left hand in the fourth round, following up with more shots to cap off the fight with a knockout. Once again, Gaethje put on the consensus Fight of the Year.
Eddie Alvarez vs Dustin Poirier – UFC on FOX 30 (Jul. 28, 2018)
Both coming off of wins against Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier met for a rematch of their 2017 fight. It appeared that Alvarez had the advantage early on, reigning down shots from mount, but Poirier was able to utilise his relentless flurries to stun Alvarez and finish him in the second round. This brought a fitting conclusion to their rivalry.
Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler – UFC 268 (Nov. 6, 2021)
Michael Chandler joined his fellow lightweights in the UFC some years later. He took on Justin Gaethje and they put on one of the best three-round fights of all time. Gaethje threw everything but the kitchen sink at Chandler, who went down but continued to move forward until the final horn had sounded. After 15 minutes of action, the judges awarded Gaethje the win via decision. As is to be expected with Gaethje, it was Fight of the Year.
Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler – UFC 281 (Nov. 12, 2022)
A year on from his loss to Gaethje, Chandler opted to welcome Poirier back to the ring. The pair traded shots in the first round, both looking to be in trouble at seperate points. Chandler dominated the second with his grappling, but Poirier stole the win with a submission in the third and final round. This bout completed the cycle, meaning that all four men had faced one another.
Each and every bout was action-packed, which serves as a testament to their commitment to providing violence to their fans.
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For more UFC 291 content, stay tuned to Violent Money TV.
It seems Alex Pereira is on a lot of minds of late. His former nemesis ‘Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya has been speaking about him this week and, rather surprisingly, heaped praise on the Brazilian.
The pair have shared an intense rivalry throughout their respective kickboxing and mixed martial arts careers, with Pereira beating Adesanya three times before ‘The Last Stylebender’ finally got the edge over ‘Poatan’ in their last meeting a year ago.
Pereira won their first meeting in the kickboxing ring by decision back in 2016 and then knocked out Adesanya in a rematch eleven months later.
He then finished Adesanya in the fifth round at UFC 281 to claim the middleweight title in only his sixth professional MMA bout, before Adesanya reclaimed the belt a few months later with a devastating right hook.
Adesanya went on to lose the belt to Sean Strickland and has since been on a self imposed sabbatical from the sport. He was an interested spectator as Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division, before winning and then defending the belt in that division too.
Speaking with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel this week, Adesanya had nothing but praise for Pereira, and insists the Brazilian brings out the best in him:
“He’s a special fighter” said Adesanya. “He’s a special human being. What he’s done in this game, in fighting, and for his life as well, I’ll always respect him. I’m grateful for those moments because, for me, it taught me so much about myself and where I can go”.
Despite losing the first three fights in their series, Adesanya insists the fights were closer than that record suggests:
“First fight in China, I thought I won. These casuals don’t. These plebs don’t. I thought I won. Even he thought I won until he got his hand raised. Second fight, I’m beating his ass and he gets me. Again in New Your (UFC 281) I’m beating him. Rocked him, took him down, held him down, beat him and he gets me…I just knew that I can beat this guy”.
With Adesanya rumoured to be coming back to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the 185lb title, and Alex Pereira seemingly looking upwards toward the heavyweight division for his next challenge, it seems the pair are out of each other’s crosshairs…for now at least.
Despite being just two weeks removed from his defeat to Alex Pereira in the main event at UFC 300, Jamahal Hill is climbing straight back on the horse and already has his next fight lined up. ‘Sweet Dreams’ is scheduled to face Khalil Roundtree Jr at UFC 303 on June 29th.
The card will be headlined by the long-awaited return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, and Hill has elected to step straight back into fight camp rather than sit on the sidelines and recover from the devastating first round knockout he suffered at the hands of Pereira.
Rountree will be coming into this bout on a five-fight winning streak and has finished seven of his 9 UFC victories by knockout. Sitting at #8 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings, Rountree will surely see a victory over a former champion like Hill as a short cut to a title shot.
Given that Hill will likely have received a 60-day medical suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and there are only 77 days separating UFCs 300 and 303, there are certainly questions to be raised about the decision of Hill and his team to take this fight.
Hill explained in an interview with The Schmo that he sees the proximity of the two fights being a positive for his physical preparations, and that he is focused on avenging the loss to Pereira:
“I’m already in good shape” he explained. “I’m feeling good, heading into another camp just makes sense, I get to go into a camp in shape instead of going into camp off a layoff so I think that’ll be a huge plus and will help me go out and put on the performance I need to against Khalil Rountree to put myself back in position to get that Alex Pereira fight back.
“It’s about getting back to that fight, I want to fight Alex again just because of the narrative surrounding it ”
Hill originally won the 205lb title after defeating Pereira’s coach Glover Teixeira over five rounds at UFC 283 in January of 2023. He then ruptured his Achilles tendon last July and vacated the belt which Pereira won by beating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November.
After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash.
The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September.
The event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans.
Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action.
The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.
“Hitman” will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January.
Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.
After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison.
And with “Hitman” keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
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