Karma? Bellator's Bjorn Rebney says he'd like more of what he saw Saturday night

LONG BEACH, Calif. – According to UFC President Dana White, Eddie Alvarez‘s Bellator 106 win over Michael Chandler was all about karma. If that’s true, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said, he’ll take as much of that karma as he can get.

“If karma is that we just put on the best mixed martial arts fight I’ve ever seen, that’s karma I’ll take big boatloads of,” Rebney said to a small group of reporters following Saturday night’s Bellator 106 event.

Bellator 106 took place Saturday at California’s Long Beach Arena. The event was expected to serve as Bellator MMA’s first-ever pay-per-view card, but when a headlining bout between Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was scratched due to injury, the event shifted to Spike TV.

The night’s co-feature – a heavily anticipated rematch between Bellator lightweight champion Chandler (12-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and former title holder Alvarez (25-3 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) – was promoted to headlining status, and the card was moved to Spike TV.

The pair’s 2011 contest was a “Fight of the Year” candidate, but the rematch wasn’t easily made, as Alvarez tried to bolt from the promotion to the UFC before an ugly legal battle, complete with a public war of words, ultimately resulted in him returning to the promotion.

In the meantime, Chandler was promoted to poster-boy status, earning high praise from his boss and starring in a series of Bellator-themed commercials for promotion sponsor Dave & Buster’s.

On Saturday, the Chandler and Alvarez engaged in another instant classic matchup, a fight that will no doubt again find its way on to 2013 “Fight of the Year” lists. Alvarez ultimately took back the belt, downing Chandler in an incredibly entertaining split-decision result. But when White heard about the result, he took to Twitter to let his feelings be known.

I’m hearing Djork oops Bjork got served a big fat plate of Karma tonight :) Congrats Eddie!!

— Dana White (@danawhite) November 3, 2013

When asked about the dig, Rebney declined to address it directly, instead pointing to his company’s recent deal with FOX Sports Latin America and the UFC’s decision to leave unsigned Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren toiling away in free agency as reasons why he feels it’s best to select only the proper times to reply to such comments.

“I’ve kind of picked my spots where I thought it was necessary to respond,” Rebney said. “Some of his valuation comments were ridiculous given that his partner paid us tens of millions of dollars for our rights in Latin America – and some of the other things that I’ve recently responded to on the Askren front. He claimed that the greatest fighters in the world fight in the UFC, but the sixth-ranked welterweight in the world becomes available, and you don’t even pick up the phone to call him?

“I don’t know what karma is.”

With the record now 1-1 between Alvarez and Chandler, the pair is expected to complete their trilogy in the near future. Rebney declined to speculate on a date for the contest but said he would allow both to heal up after Saturday’s brutal 25-minute affair and then look to book the matchup.

For more on Bellator 106, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

Steven Marrocco contributed to this report on-site in Long Beach.