Kevin Lee recently threw his name in the hat to be the one to welcome Nate Diaz back into the Ultimate Fighting championship (UFC) Octagon after an extend hiatus. The only problem is, Eddie Alvarez wants to settle some unfinished business with the Stockton slugger, too.
While Lee understands what Eddie is trying to do in picking a fight against Nate, he feels it simply isn’t the bout fans want to see. “The Motown Phenom” took to The MMA Hour to explain why a fight between him and Diaz makes more sense, while dismissing a “washed up” Alvarez.
“Diaz is coming off the loss to McGregor, who’s the champ. I’m coming off the loss to Tony. It just makes more sense from a sporting perspective,” explained Lee, who is coming off a submission loss to Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 (see it again here).
“Am I going to bounce back? Diaz, who let’s call it what it is, I got tired vs Tony and Diaz is known for not getting tired. So this will answer a lot of questions, the tiredness, mental warfare,” he added.
As for Alvarez, Lee feels his time has come and gone, but if the promotion wants to lock him in the cage with “The Underground King” in the interim, he’s all for it.
“Alvarez, come on. The man is washed up. We all know that and the UFC brass know it. Alvarez will never be champion again, he will never even sniff that title again,“ said Lee. “If they want to make me and Alvarez happen, then I am cool with that, too. But I am just looking at if from a fan’s perspective and what I would want to see. I want to see the two guys who just challenged for the title because I am going to be back in a title shot within the next year. UFC knows that, the fans know that and that makes the most sense.”
It’s safe to say Alvarez still has some juice left.
For the record, Diaz didn’t fight Conor for the strap on either occasion, and hasn’t vied for UFC gold since 2012. Still, the brash brawler is ready to mount a comeback, all that is left to do is pick out who he wants to dance with.
Though some believe his mind has been made up for quite some time now.