Eddie Alvarez vs. Patricky Freire Head Bellator 76

Bellator kicks off its seventh season with Bellator 76 on Oct. 12 at Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

The night is highlighted by a lightweight showdown between former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, and the opening round of the Season 7 Featherweight Tournament.

Season 7 will be the promotion’s final season on MTV2 with Bellator moving over to Spike TV in January. Tickets for Bellator 76 are on sale now via caesarswindsor.com, Ticketmaster.ca, Bellator.com or at the Caesars Windsor Box Office.

The event will broadcast live on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX starting at 8 p.m. EST, as well as mun2 in Spanish language. The preliminary card will be streamed live and free on Spike.com, with doors opening for the event at 6 p.m. EST.

Alvarez is reportedly on the final fight of his Bellator contract and likely headed out the door after this fight. But if it is Alvarez’s final fight for Bellator, it’s a solid match-up that won’t make it easy for him to go out with another notch on his belt.

“After hearing Bellator wanted to put this fight together, I really don’t think they could have made a better match-up for the fans to enjoy,” Alvarez said, coming off of a victory over Shinya Aoki in April. “Pitbull has proven to be a legitimate threat in the past and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Freire, a former Bellator Lightweight Tournament Finalist, is no stranger to big fights and big finishes with knockout wins over Rob McCullough, Toby Imada and Kurt Pellegrino. Freire returns to the cage after healing up from a small fracture to his left arm at the hands of Lloyd Woodard.

“October 12 is going to be a big test for me, but I’m very happy for this fight, and the opportunity Bellator is giving me to fight someone like Eddie Alvarez,” said Freire. “I can’t put into words the emotion I’m feeling from thinking about this fight. I’m a warrior, and I always fight for pride. I want this fight, and I’m going to give the fans a show.”

With competitors from Russia, Canada, Brazil and the United States, the Bellator Season 7 Featherweight Tournament features a worldwide collection of talent looking for their $100,000 Tournament Champion payday, as well as a guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.

Bellator 76 Main Fight Card:

-Eddie Alvarez (23-3) vs. Patricky Pitbull (10-3)

Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bouts:
-Rad Martinez (12-2) vs. Nazareno Malegarie (22-2)
-Akop Stepanyan (12-3) vs. Wagnney Fabiano (14-3)
-Mike Richman (12-1) vs. Jeremy Spoon (12-1)
-Shahbulat Shamhalaev (9-1-1) vs. Cody Bollinger (13-2-1)

 Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more Bellator news and updates.