Eddie Alvarez warned us what would happen if someone brought out the dog in him. Lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos happened to be that someone at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night main event.
Alvarez, who had developed a reputation as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC, somewhat disappointed when he joined the organisation in 2014. The Philadelphia local lost to Cerrone in his debut and rebounded with lacklustre split decision wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis. Last night, however, Alvarez reminded the world of his true championship talent.
The two-time Bellator 155-pound champion blitzed dos Anjos with a flurry of strikes in the opening round, leaving referee Herb Dean with no choice but to stop the bout. It was vintage Alvarez: Aggression, tenacity and a dog’s killer instinct.
Adding the UFC LW belt to his collection and firmly etching his name into the history books, Alvarez wants to do one-up by defending the title against Conor McGregor.
According to Alvarez, though, ‘The Notorious’ is a ‘gimme’ fight.
“This guy (dos Anjos) to the right of me, is the best in the division,” Alvarez said at the post-fight press conference. “To be able to come out with a win over him and before him was (Anthony) Pettis, before him was Gilbert (Melendez). These are the best guys in the division. I’m not taking on top 15 guys. I would ask Dana White please to give me an easier fight like Conor McGregor. I deserve that. I’ve been fighting the best guys. I would like a gimme fight. So, Conor? I more than welcome that.”
Unfortunately for Alvarez, McGregor is booked for a welterweight rematch with Nate Diaz and is likely to return to the featherweight division to defend his own title following UFC 202.
With a murderer’s row of lightweights available, the 32-year-old could defend the belt against any number of top contenders. Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz are all in line for a shot at the gold and all would make for a highly entertaining championship bout by the end of the year.
UFC 202, which features McGregor vs. Diaz II in the main event, takes place August 20 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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