Another Bellator two-division champion reigns supreme at lightweight in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.
The Brazilian is also the current Bellator featherweight champion.
Freire won the title with a victory over Michael Chandler in 2019, ending the third title reign for Chandler. He has yet to defend the belt.
Of course, the division will always be remembered for the classics between Chandler and Eddie Alvarez.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire
A double-division champion, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire won the belt on May 11, 2019 at Bellator 221 with a victory over Michael Chandler.
His reign has lasted over 300 days, but he has yet to defend the title once.
Michael Chandler
Three times Michael Chandler has reached the top of the Bellator lightweight division, with the most recent coming in 2018.
Chandler downed Brent Primus in a rematch for the victory, holding it for 149 days.
His second reign came in 2016 and lasted for exactly 365 days with a win over Patricky “Pitbull” Freire in a tournament final. Chandler defended vs. Benson Henderson that time.
Chandler was also the second champion, with his first title reign coming in 2011 at Bellator 58 with a victory over Eddie Alvarez. He defended successfully in 2013 vs. both Rick Hawn and David Rickels, holding the title for 715 days.
Will Brooks
A surprising holder of the Bellator lightweight title, Will Brooks shocked MMA with a victory over Michael Chandler for the interim belt in 2014.
Brooks won the undisputed title when he bested Chandler again later that year at Bellator 131 after Eddie Alvarez vacated the belt to sign with the UFC.
During his 546-day reign, Brooks defended the strap twice vs. Dave Jansen and Marcin Held.
Eddie Alvarez
The first Bellator lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez held the title during two separate runs for over 1,000 days.
Alvarez finished off the first tournament with a victory over Toby Imada at Bellator 12 in 2009. He held it for 883 days and defended vs. Pat Curran.
That tournament included Jorge Masvidal, who lost to Imada in the semifinals, along with Greg Loughran, Thomas Schulte, Eric Reynolds, Nick Agallar and Alonzo Martinez.
In 2013 after falling to Michael Chandler, Alvarez reclaimed the title, holding it for 290 days before leaving for the UFC without dropping it.
