The featherweight champion is causing chaos in the lightweight division.
Eddie Alvarez told a story, after his UFC Fight Night victory over Rafael Dos Anjos, about how he paid fight promoters $250 just so he could get on cards. He loved the fight game so much that he was willing to pay to beat men up, or take a hiding himself.
Now that he is the lightweight champion, Alvarez is looking for pay-back. He wants a big money fight and believes Conor McGregor would be the simple, “gimme” option.
You can’t blame the Philadelpia native for seeking out a bout with McGregor. He backs himself as a fighter, doubts McGregor’s willingness to dig to his very core to win and could do with a seven-figure cheque at the end of it.
There are two impediments to the fight, however. The UFC want McGregor back at 145 lbs to defend his featherweight belt and Alvarez has been lined up to face Khabib Nurmagomedov.
As we now know, Alvarez allowed a contract deadline to pass and will not now fight The Eagle at UFC 205. December’s 206 is on the table but Alvarez’ people are reaching out to the McGregor camp.
On ESPN’s ‘Five Rounds’ podcast, Nurmagomedov sounded resigned to missing out on a shot at Alvarez, and his belt. He commented:
“I love this [Alvarez] fight. I want to fight for the belt. All fans, coaches, fighters, analytics, everybody agrees and knows who deserves this title shot. I deserve it.
“I am No. 1 ranked. Why UFC put me on No. 1 ranking if they don’t want to give me title shot? Why do they make rankings?”
“Conor McGregor fights… in a lighter division and the UFC wants to give him title shot? I think this is number one bullshit. They cannot give him a title shot because he’s never fought with the top guys, like top five, top 10 in the lightweight division, and they want to give him title shot?”
McGregor could counter – if he was bothered – that he is coming off the back of a UFC 202 win over No.4 ranked lightweight Nate Diaz and has a 2014 victory over No.10 ranked lightweight Dustin Poirier.
As for Nurmagomedov, he wants a ‘top five guy’ if he has to wait for the winner of Alvarez-McGregor.
“I want to fight with the best,” he declared. “I don’t care who.”
Whoever he fights, it won’t be McGregor. The Dubliner will be fighting for a belt next – whether it is his own on Alvarez’, no-one knows.
