With no Eddie Alvarez in the upcoming Bellator 155-pound tournament and with no chance at a rematch with current champion Michael Chandler, eight men will take a shot at creating their own fight of the year candidate with the champ starting at March 23rd's Bellator 62 in Laredo, TX.

Patricky Freire vs. Lloyd Woodard

Freire (10-2, 3-1 Bellator) lost to Chandler by unanimous decision in his first tournament after knockout wins over Rob McCullough and Toby Imada. He returned to the winner's circle with a first round knockout of Kurt Pellegrino in November and is one of the favorites to win the tourney.

While Woodard (11-1, 1-1 Bellator) isn't a big name among today's lightweight crop, his only career loss was to Chandler and he has finished nine of his 11 opponents.

Rick Hawn vs. Ricardo Tirloni

Hawn (11-1, 3-1 Bellator) drops to lightweight for the first time after advancing to the welterweight finals last spring. The U.S. Olympian in judo has shown power in seven T/KO wins, but has had three straight fights go the distance. He faces Tirloni (14-1, 1-0 Bellator), who enters the tournament on an 11-fight win streak. Like many fellow Bellator fighters, the Brazilian is a finisher with 12 victories by submission or T/KO.

Brent Weedman vs. J.J. Ambrose

Weedman (18-7, 4-2 Bellator) is getting an opportunity despite two straight defeats. After winning his first four fights in the promotion, Weedman picked up decision losses to Jay Hieron and Chris Lozano and is dropping to lightweight to help turn it around. Ambrose (17-3-0-1) makes his promotional debut on a seven-fight win streak with nine overall wins by submission.

Rene Nazare vs. Thiago Michel

After running his record to 10-0 amidst a flurry of first round finishes, Nazare (10-1, 3-1 Bellator) was handed his first career loss last October. Despite that, he gets his first tournament opportunity against Michel (9-2), who is making his promotional debut with two straight wins. The Brazilian has finished all of his wins via T/KO and has been submitted in both of his career losses.

The event starts at 8 PM EST on MTV 2.

Other recent Bellator news on BE:

• Zach Makovsky To Defend 135-Pound Title In April
• Report: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Contract Extension Talk Not Going Well
• Ben Askren Vs. Douglas Lima Set For April 6
• Ben Saunders, Brian Foster headline 170-pound tourney
• Prindle vs. Santos, 185-pound brackets announced
• 145-pound tournament matches announced

It will be more than 17 months from when Zach Makovsky first won the Bellator bantamweight title to when he will first defend it, but that day will finally come on Friday, April 13, when recent tournament winner Eduardo Dantas challenges him at Bellator 65 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Makovsky (14-2, 6-0 Bellator) became the promotion's first 135-pound champion with a unanimous decision win over Ed West. The 29-year-old has posted victories over Chad Robichaux (third round TKO) and Ryan Roberts (first round submission) since then, both in 2011 non-title fights. The EliteXC alum has won eight in a row.

He will face a dangerous opponent in the 22-year-old Dantas (13-2, 3-0 Bellator), who won Bellator's second-ever bantamweight tournament with wins over Wilson Reis, West and then Alexis Vila in the finals. The Brazilian has won six in a row and has shown the ability to finish via T/KO or submission in his young career.

The undercard will feature the semifinals of the season 6 185-pound tournament with some combination of Maiquel Falcao, Brian Rogers, Giva Santana, Vitor Vianna, Norman Paraisy, Bruno Santos, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Victor O'Donnell fighting. Also, Lyman Good faces LeVon Maynard in a qualifier for the next welterweight tournament.

The event airs at 8 PM EST on MTV2.

Other Bellator news on Bloody Elbow:

• Report: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Contract Extension Talk Not Going Well
• Ben Askren Vs. Douglas Lima Set For April 6
• Ben Saunders, Brian Foster headline 170-pound tourney
• Prindle vs. Santos, 185-pound brackets announced
• 145-pound tournament matches announced

Fighters Only reported Friday afternoon that Eddie Alvarez is having issues with Bellator Fighting Championships on a contract extension and the chances of it being resolved aren't realistic.

From web editor John Joe O'Regan:

Both sides have been in negotiations on a new deal for some time but a source tells Fighters Only that he and Bellator and "miles apart" on the value of a new contract.

The source says that the tone has "soured" recently and that a resolution now seems all but impossible, with the respective parties adamant that they cannot move from their stated positions.

Alvarez (22-3, 6-1 Bellator) had a seven fight win streak snapped and his 155-pound title taken by Michael Chandler last November in one of the year's best fights. However, he was oddly left out of the brackets for the impending lightweight tournament with promotion head Bjorn Rebney saying it wasn't the right move at the time. The 28-year-old is one of the promotion's highest paid fighters and most recognizable stars.

In a recent interview with Heavy MMA, Alvarez addressed his contract situation.

"I still have eight or nine months left on my contract with Bellator or one or two fights," Alvarez said. "I’m waiting to finalize things, but I believe we are going to be doing the fight with Shinya Aoki. That would be on April 20, but we just received the contracts and we are looking them over. Nothing is 100 percent right now, but that is what we are aiming to do."

Without a title, there's no championship clause to keep him in the promotion if he wants to leave for either the UFC or a much-discussed fight with Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez as a tantalizing possibility.

Bloody Elbow reported that Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki II was a go for April 20 but as Alvarez said above, no official announcement has been made yet. It's important to note that he recently changed management, going with growing powerhouse Authentic Sports Management that boasts a roster that includes Rashad Evans, Miguel Torres, Matt Mitrione, Melvin Guillard and more.

Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren will look to keep his undefeated record intact when he defends his title against No. 1 contender Douglas Lima on Friday, April 6th, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, in the main event of Bellator 64.

The Lima fight will be Askren's second defense of the gold he won in October 2010. His first defense was a year later, a controversial split decision over Jay Hieron that had this writer asking for a rematch. Due to the promotional rules however, only tournament winners can earn title shots and interestingly enough, HIeron is not in this latest tourney field.

After a 3-0 record in the regional scene, Askren (9-0, 6-0 Bellator) debuted in Bjorn Rebney's promotion and has been there ever since.

The two time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestler will have a stiff test in the 24-year-old Lima, who earned his shot with a second round KO of Ben Saunders in the recent 170-pound tourney finale. Lima (21-4, 3-0 Bellator) has finishes in 18 of his victories with 11 submissions and seven T/KOs. He'll carry a nine fight win streak into the title match.

The undercard will feature former WEC fighter Chris Horodecki vs. the dreaded 'opponent to be named later' and the semifinals of the season six featherweight tournament that opens up on March 9th. Some combo of Marlon Sandro, Ronnie Mann, Roberto Vargas, Wagnney Fabiano, Daniel Straus, Alexandre Bezerra, Jeremy Spoon and Genair da Silva will tangle for the opportunity to fight in the finals.

The event airs at 8 PM EST on MTV2.

More recent Bellator news:

• Ben Saunders, Brian Foster headline 170-pound tourney
• Prindle vs. Santos, 185-pound brackets announced
• 145-pound tournament matches announced
• 145-pound champ Joe Warren to defend against Pat Curran

Bellator Fighting Championships returns to Connecticut's Mohegan Sun on Friday, March 30, with the opening round of their welterweight tournament, one that features two former UFC fighters mixed with some undefeated prospects that want to make a name for themselves at their expense.

Karl Amoussou (13-4-2) vs. Chris Lozano (9-2)

Former middleweight Amoussou has lacked consistency in the last two years, amassing a 2-2-1 record in Bellator, Strikeforce, Pancrase and Dream. He now drops to 170 pounds and his November 175-pound Bellator catchweight fight against Jesus Martinez turned out just fine with a first round KO victory.

He'll face Lozano, a late sub for the soon-to-be imprisoned War Machine. Lozano entered last year's tourney and was knocked out in the second round by eventual tournament winner Douglas Lima. He was 3-2 overall in 2011 with both losses coming in the Bellator cage.

Ben Saunders (12-4-2) vs. Raul Amaya (9-0)

Saunders' dream run in his debut Bellator tournament ended in the finals with a second round knockout loss to Lima. The UFC veteran is 4-1 since getting released by Zuffa in 2010 with finishes in all four of his wins. He will face promotional newcomer Amaya who has rung up an undefeated streak in Florida's Art Of Fighting promotion with six submissions and three T/KO's.

Brian Foster (18-5) vs. David Rickels (9-0)

Foster makes his Bellator debut on the heels of a four fight win streak. Released from the UFC after health issues threatened his career, the 27-year-old has finishes in all of his wins and has never gone to a decision. He'll have a tough challenge in the undefeated Rickels, a fixture on Bellator undercards for most of 2011. The submission machine has six tapout wins to his credit with three of his last four coming by triangle choke.

Bryan Baker (16-3) vs. Carlos Pereira (33-9-1)

Like Amoussou, Baker is dropping down to 170 pounds after getting TKO'd by Vitor Vianna last October, snapping a three fight win streak. A promotional fixture since 2009, Baker is 7-2 in his Bellator career and is a former middleweight tournament finalist. He faces the debuting Pereira, a well-traveled veteran who is unbeaten in his last four. Baker should be wary as "Indio" has 22 wins by T/KO.

The event -- entitled Bellator 63 -- will air at 8 PM EST on MTV2. Look for more Bellator-related Season Six news after the jump.

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After losing his Bellator title in a fight of the year candidate against Michael Chandler, Eddie Alvarez decided to skip this season's lightweight tournament so he could negotiate for a chance to redeem another loss - one against the popular Japanese champion, Shinya Aoki.

Alvarez will finally be getting his wish on April 20th, but this time, he'll be taking on the DREAM champion inside the Bellator cage. Sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com that bout agreements have been sent and Aoki has already put pen to paper, with Bellator expected to make the official announcement soon.

Their first encounter ended with a heel hook finish from Aoki in a little over a minute, although a lot has changed for both fighters since then. Shinya Aoki has moved his training camps to Singapore, and has shown significant improvements on his game after training with the world champions at Evolve MMA. Eddie Alvarez on the other hand, went on an impressive 7-fight win streak since signing with Bellator, winning their lightweight crown in the process.

He lost the title after Chandler pulled off a huge upset last November, but Alvarez believes he will get back on the horse and avenge a loss at the same time when he faces Aoki this April.

As the last season of Bellator came to a close in November, the final image the public was left with was the bizarre close to the heavyweight tournament, a fight that ended in a no-contest due to a strange low blow that left the tourney without a winner.

The finals between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos has now been reset, scheduled for the main event of Bellator 61 on Friday, March 16 in Bossier City, LA -- a night that will also feature the opening round of the sixth season 185-pound tournament.

The initial tangle on November 26th ended in the first round when a standing Santos (10-1-0-1) threw a kick that went flush into the nether region of Prindle (7-1-0-1). After he couldn't recover following a five minute rest period, Prindle was checked by the cageside physician and couldn't continue. The blow was ruled accidental, the fight was declared a no contest and Bellator head Bjorn Rebney said the two would square off sometime in the spring.

Middleweight Tournament Pairings Announced

On the same night that Prindle and Santos fight, the middleweight tournament kicks off with the four opening round matches:

Maiquel Falcao vs. Norman Paraisy

Released from the UFC in early 2011, Falcao (28-4-0-1) makes his Bellator debut after several fights in Brazil. He will battle Paraisy (10-1-1) who is riding a six-fight unbeaten streak. Falcao has 23 knockouts to his credit, while Paraisy's sole career loss was in Bellator several years ago. He lost to James Hammortree in a "fight-in" match on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Brian Rogers vs. Vitor Vianna

Rogers (8-3) advanced to the semifinals of the last 185-pound tournament and was KO'd by eventual winner Alexander Shlemenko. He'll face Vianna (12-2-1), himself beaten by Shlemenko in the finals. Before the loss, he had a five-fight winning streak.

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky vs. Victor O'Donnell

One of the top talents on our World MMA Scouting Report, Vasilevsky (15-1) makes his promotional debut on a 14-fight win streak with a slew of finishes. Like Paraisy, O'Donnell (11-3) also lost a "fight-in" match on TUF's 11th season and is looking to rebound from a September first round knockout loss to Rogers.

Giva Santana vs. Bruno Santos

With 13 wins by armbar, Santana (17-1) is looking to build on a six-fight win streak in his first Bellator tournament. He faces the undefeated Santos (12-0) who will make his promotional debut. All but two of his fights have gone the distance.

On the same night that reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren defends his title against No. 1 contender Pat Curran, the road for a new challenger begins in Hammond, IN.

The March 9th season debut will feature the featherweight tournament's first round with mix of several Bellator vets, a couple new faces and a former top 145'er returning after a long layoff.

Marlon Sandro (19-3) vs. Roberto Vargas (12-1)

The 34-year-old Sandro advanced to the featherweight summer tournament finals and was knocked out by Curran in the second round. He returned to the winner's circle with a first round submission victory over Rafael Dias in November and is 5-2 in the last two years. Vargas returns to Bellator after a near three year absence, riding a six fight win streak in regional promotions.

Ronnie Mann (20-4) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (14-3)

The 25-year-old Mann was also a victim of Curran, dropping a unanimous decision to him in the tourney semifinals. He rebounded with a first round submission win over Kenny Foster in October and has won five of his last six. In Fabiano, Mann will face someone once regarded as one of the best featherweights in the world.

The former IFL 145-pound champion won two straight after joining the WEC, but went 2-2 with defeats to Joseph Benavidez and Mackens Semerzier before being cut. When he steps into the cage, it will be his first action in 15 months.

Alexandre Bezerra (12-1) vs. Genair da Silva (11-4)

After ripping through four non-tourney opponents in 2011, Bezerra finally gets his shot in a Bellator tournament. He's a finisher with stoppages in 11 of his 12 wins and hasn't been in a fight that's gone the distance in over three years. da Silva returns to Bellator after being dispatched by Sandro last year in the summer tournament's opening round. He's coming off a first round submission win over Brian Goldsby and is 5-1 in the last two years.

Daniel Straus (17-4) vs. Jeremy Spoon (12-0)

Straus did just fine in his first 145-pound tourney, advancing to the finals of the spring tourney against Patricio Freire. The unanimous decision loss that night snapped a 12-fight winning streak, but he bounced back with an October decision win over Jason Dent in a non-Bellator fight. The undefeated Spoon gets his first crack in a tournament after two Bellator wins last year with Straus as his toughest competitor in his young career.

Last week, Bellator confirmed that this event will be their season opener, originally slotted for March 2nd. The aforementioned Freire has also earned a title shot with his spring 145-pound tournament victory but a hand injury prevented him from taking the first shot at Warren.