Bellator 54 has lost its headliner. Announced Tuesday, Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (22-2) suffered an undisclosed injury in training that freezes plans of a scheduled title defense in October. As a result, the scheduled bout between Alvarez and season-four lightweight tournament winner Michael Chandler (8-0) has been delayed by promotion officials until further notice.
Bad news: @EdAlvarezFight injured and his fight is postponed against @mikechandlermma heal up friend and hopefully we'll see you soon.
"Eddie suffered an injury that will keep him out of our Oct. 15 show at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney in an official press release. "Eddie Alvarez has a huge heart, and if there was any way for him to fight on the 15th, I know he would. Ed's in spectacular condition, so both of us are hopeful that this fight can potentially still occur later this fall."
Alvarez has amassed a seven-fight win streak since losing to Japanese star Shinya Aoki in 2008. The 27-year-old is considered by many to be one of the top lightweight fighters in the world, and holds notable wins over Pat Curran, Roger Huerta, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Joachim Hansen.