No rest for the weary.

Standout 155-pound fighter Eddie Alvarez will be back in action against Naoyuki Kotani (18-8-6) just three weeks after a 90-second submission loss to Shinya Aoki at FieLDS Dynamite!! over the weekend.

The 27-year-old Philadelphia native is still booked to headline Extreme Challenge: "War at the Shore" at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 23.

Alvarez will look to rebound from just the second loss of his career -- he fell victim to a slick heel hook in the first round by the Japanese submission wizard. Fortunately, Alvarez appears to have avoided ligament damage, which could have forced him off the upcoming card in the "Garden State."

That's not all that Alvarez has planned for early 2009.

He also signed on to fight compete in the eight-man tournament that Bellator Fighting Championships is coordinating. The "Contender"-style reality-based program is scheduled to air on Saturday nights live on ESPN Deportes beginning in April.

Before the setback to Aoki, Alvarez was enjoying a five-fight win streak, including wins over Andre Amade, Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri during an impressive run through the 2008 DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix.

Coming off the loss, he'll certainly be looking for a statement win in this fight, but depending on which Naoyuki Kotani shows up, that could be easier said than done.

The Kanagawa, Japan, native recently defeated Katsuhiko Nagata with a second round submission at a small show in Tokyo. It marked the 14th time in his career that he was victorious with a submission. Before that, however, he was on a four fight winless streak, which included dropping back-to-back contests in the UFC to Thiago Tavares and Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 9 and UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion,” respectively.

“War at the Shore” will also feature former Elite XC featherweight champion and Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud Wilson Reis (6-0), as well as highly regarded female fighter Tara Larosa (15-1).

Reis will take on Josh Ferguson (6-1) who is also a solid submissions artist, claiming all six of his career wins by way of tap out. It should be a very technical fight, and Reis is always a treat to watch.

Larosa’s opponent is yet to be named. On fight night it will be a day short of 14 months since the last time she fought. At one time she was widely considered to be the top female mixed martial artist in the world, but in her absence we’ve seen the emergence of other stars such as Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg who have filled her void just fine.

She’ll no doubt look to bring the attention back her way with a strong showing in this fight. Expect a big performance from her regardless of who they announce as her opponent.

Tickets for the event can still be had through the usual outlets such as Stubhub.com. If you live in the Atlantic City area you might want to check it out … it’s looking like a solid lineup of mixed martial arts action.