Eddie Alvarez back with Bellator, will fight Michael Chandler on PPV

Eddie Alvarez will return to the cage, and that cage will be adorned with the Bellator MMA logo.

The former lightweight champion, embroiled in litigation over his expired contract with Bellator and an offer from the UFC, has re-signed with Bellator and will fight Nov. 2.

That fight will be against champion Michael Chandler, and it will be the co-main event as Bellator makes its first foray into the pay-per-view business of mixed martial arts, a space wholly dominated by UFC. Until now, Bellator and its tournament format has aired only on cable TV, first on MTV 2 and now on Spike. That distinction was one of the sticking points in contract negotiations.

"I still lose sleep over my loss to Chandler, and I want it off my record," Alvarez said in a statement. "This was a long process, but at the end of the day, I'm back with Bellator and I'm happy to get back in the cage. I really believe everything happens for a reason, and at the end of the day my family and I are happy, and I'm ready to get my belt back on November 2nd."

Alvarez (24-3) lost his title to Chandler on Nov. 19, 2011, in what was one of the best fights of the year in any MMA promotion. Chandler (12-0) won by fourth-round submission.

"Without sounding too disrespectful, when I fought Eddie the first time in 2011, I didn't even know what it meant to be an MMA fighter," Chandler said in a statement. "Two years later, I've grown so much as a mixed martial artist, and there isn't a doubt in my mind on November 2nd, my hand will be raised and the belt will be around my waist."

This will be the third title defense of the year for Chandler, who last fought on July 31. He knocked out David Rickels in 44 seconds. Alvarez's last bout was at Bellator 76 on Oct. 12, 2012, where he knocked out Patricky "Pitbull" Freire with six seconds to go in the first round.

Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will headline the card in their Bellator debuts.