Eddie Alvarez ventured off of the big stage at DREAM to the fairly indistinct Bellator Fighting Championships after proving himself a standout amongst the top lightweight competitors outside of the UFC, winning their LW championship with three consecutive submission wins.

Bellator FC made MMA news last week when they announced their intention to continue focusing on the tournament format and to expect Bellator FC fighters to make appearances in other organizations, and, hot on the heels of this news, MMAWeekly has learned of the potential pairing of Alvarez back in DREAM against the former DEEP champion Katsunori Kikuno.

Kikuno made a splash with his DREAM debut by crippling Andre “Dida” Amade with his signature crescent kick and following up with a cycle of brutal punches for the 1st round TKO win. He is a very calculating and methodical fighter with an odd stance, but consistently employs unorthodox (yet effective) striking in unison with powerful Judo from the clinch and solid ground-n-pound. He is a 12-1-1 fighter and one of the rising suns in Japan.

This will be quite an interesting combat-comparison to Alvarez’ crisp boxing and strong wrestling game. Both fighters throw heavy blows on the feet complimented by a strong top game on the ground, and have something to prove in the world lightweight scene