Eddie Alvarez’s Interesting Opinion On McGregor & Lesnar Getting Title Shots

Eddie Alvarez has given his take.

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Eddie Alvarez has opened up on what he thinks of the recent decisions made by the UFC involving two of their biggest stars – Conor McGregor and Brock Lesnar.

Regarding McGregor, the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion is clearly the biggest star in the Las Vegas-based promotion but although he pulls in some big pay-per-view buys, he doesn’t defend the titles he wins including the featherweight strap that he picked up once beating Jose Aldo and then with the lightweight title once he beat Alvarez as both of those times he never defended the titles and was later stripped but with his recent legal issues behind him, he’s expected to get a lightweight title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

On the flip side, Lesnar, who is a former UFC heavyweight champion, hasn’t won a fight since 2010 and even tested positive in his latest fight against Mark Hunt two years ago but the UFC is granting him a title shot against Daniel Cormier in January.

Alvarez spoke with the media while promoting his upcoming rematch against Dustin Poirier at the UFC on FOX 30 event which will serve as the main event and during this media scrum, Alvarez gave his take on how the UFC is handling the booking decisions with these two fighters.

“That is the world we live in today, folks,” Alvarez said during the UFC on FOX 30 media day (transcript courtesy of Bloody Elbow). “We are all fools if we think otherwise. Brock Lesnar just walked in here and got a world title shot. This is what’s happening.”

“We have no control,” he continued. “The media, myself, the fighters, no one. The UFC says who gets the next title shot. I have no control of that. I beat the guys in front of me, I could dominate everyone. It doesn’t matter. The money fight’s what’s always gonna count.”

UFC on FOX 30 is set to take place on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with the main card will air on FOX at 8 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 6 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 4 p.m. ET.

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Dana White: Conor McGregor ‘Might Never Fight Again’

Since winning the UFC lightweight title with a brutal demolition of Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 last November in New York City, Conor McGregor has made it abundantly clear what he’d like to do next and that would be to take on former pound-for-pound king and undefeated five-time world champion Floyd […]

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Since winning the UFC lightweight title with a brutal demolition of Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205 last November in New York City, Conor McGregor has made it abundantly clear what he’d like to do next and that would be to take on former pound-for-pound king and undefeated five-time world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather in a boxing match.

Over the last year, talks regarding a potential bout have come from both parties, but many refused to believe it was a legitimate possibility. Recently, however, McGregor revealed that he had officially signed a contract with the UFC in order to make the fight a reality. UFC President Dana White also confirmed that he and the “Notorious” one had come to terms on a deal and that all that was left was to agree to a deal with Mayweather, which is obviously no easy task, but clearly things are moving in the direction of the fight happening.

If the fight does indeed take place, it could end up being the most lucrative in the history of combat sports and if it isn’t, it’ll certainly rank near the top of that list. White recently spoke on this topic, saying that McGregor could make ‘between $60 and $70 million’ for a bout against “Money”. The UFC boss even said that he wouldn’t be shocked if McGregor never fought in the UFC again after earning such a big pay day:

“If this things goes down, Conor could make anywhere between $60 and $70 million; and what I think happens is, how do you come back again and fight for $10 million bucks?” proclaimed UFC president Dana White on a recent appearance on GGN News with Snoop Dogg.

“He’s a smart kid, but he may never fight again,” White told Snoop. “In the fight business, you have to be hungry, man. It’s hard to get up and get punched in the face when you got $75 million in the bank. I think he is hungry for Mayweather and hungry for the money and Conor loves to prove people wrong.”

McGregor, the titleholder of arguably the UFC’s most intriguing division, has no shortage of challengers awaiting him in the UFC. Top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are both chomping at the bit to receive a title shot, while a trilogy bout with bitter rival Nate Diaz is also a possibility. None of these options, however, would provide the brash and outspoken Irishman with the type of money he’ll bring in for a bout against Mayweather.

As far as Mayweather goes, the 40-year-old hasn’t competed since scoring a unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto in Sept. 2015. He announced his retirement after the bout, but has since made it clear that he’d make a return to the ring to take on McGregor. “Money” also recently said the he thinks the fight will happen.

What do you make of White’s most recent comments?

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Quote: Conor McGregor Won’t End Year As Lightweight Champ

Just over two months after his history-making win over Eddie Alvarez at last November’s UFC 205, the MMA world is holding its collective breath for lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move. The face of the UFC was stripped of his featherweight championship before December’s UFC 206, and his name is more in the news right now for his

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Just over two months after his history-making win over Eddie Alvarez at last November’s UFC 205, the MMA world is holding its collective breath for lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move.

The face of the UFC was stripped of his featherweight championship before December’s UFC 206, and his name is more in the news right now for his rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., although it’s been more in the form of “Money” and Dana White running their mouths about it than anything “Notorious” has said.

With McGregor out for an indefinite period of time to welcome his first child, his current home of 155 pounds will also move on in a sense when Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight for the interim title at March 4’s UFC 209 from Las Vegas. The winner is expected to meet ‘The Notorious’ in his next fight, but that’s far from anything close to guaranteed considering his unpredictable schedule.

If and when McGregor finally does defend his belt, one top-ranked lightweight doesn’t seem to think he’ll hold onto it for very long. That man is No. 8-ranked Michael Chiesa, who told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on his “5ive Rounds” podcast that McGregor will have to defend his belt at some point:

“Sooner or later, Conor is going to have to come out and fight,” Chiesa said. “Whether he’s taking this hiatus himself or the company is putting him on ice, who knows? But I don’t see him staying champion.”

Chiesa moved to clarify he knows McGregor is highly skilled, but compared him to the elite level of competition he’ll conceivably face upon his return. Based on the most obvious upcoming match-ups, Chiesa believes Nurmagomedov, Ferguson, and even himself are just too big for “The Notorious”:

“I know he’s good. I’m not knocking him. We have to recognize the guy can f—ing fight. But you have to look at the guys coming up in the lightweight division. Tony Ferguson and Khabib, you have to fight the winner of that fight. I mean, dude, you’re good, but you’re going up against a guy who is 24-0, multiple samba world champion, or a guy that would be on a 10-fight win streak.”

“Conor is good, but I really don’t think he’s a true lightweight,” Chiesa continued. “That’s what I’m saying. With the landscape of this division, I don’t see Conor ending his year as champion. And you put me in there, I’m going to drag him to the ground and beat him too. I’m a huge lightweight. I’m as big as Nate or bigger, and we saw how many problems Nate gave him.”

These words may be beginning to sound a bit redundant, as we’ve heard a long list of reasons why McGregor’s next opponent would be the one to shut him down and hand a deflating defeat, only to watch him pass every test – except one – with flying colors. In fact, the one fight McGregor did lose in the UFC, his shocking UFC 196 submission loss to Nate Diaz, was probably the one fans and media members thought featured the lowest odds of him losing given that late replacement Diaz was coming into the fight on 10 days’ notice.

The much larger Diaz gave McGregor more problems at their rematch at UFC 202, yet McGregor escaped with a narrow majority decision win that time around. There’s no question that bigger, rangier lightweights give him a tougher test than the shorter featherweights he’s blasted in the Octagon, but in order for the Irish megastar to lose to any one of the three contenders Chiesa named earlier, he’s going to have to defend his belt – something he hasn’t done a single time in Cage Warriors FC or the UFC.

Will McGregor finally defend one of his titles? And if he does, will he remain the king of the talented 155-pound landscape at the end of 2017?

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Conor McGregor’s Coach: Khabib Can Be Hit, May Not Come Back

With newly-crowned dual-weight champion Conor McGregor reportedly out until May as he welcomes his first child into the world, all of MMA will have a few months to speculate over just whom “The Notorious” will fight next. Of course the usual suspects of longtime rival Nate Diaz and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley continue to appear

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With newly-crowned dual-weight champion Conor McGregor reportedly out until May as he welcomes his first child into the world, all of MMA will have a few months to speculate over just whom “The Notorious” will fight next.

Of course the usual suspects of longtime rival Nate Diaz and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley continue to appear in press clippings. That’s the fight that McGregor’s longtime striking coach Owen Roddy said he wants for his star pupil during an appearance on this week’s “The MMA Hour” (transcribed by MMA Mania):

“For me? Go up and go for three belts … maybe Woodley,” Roddy said. “But, [doing] Diaz again as well is another great one, because I think it’s what fans would want to see. They want to see something special again. [Doing] The Diaz fight again is special. The Woodley fight is special.”

But even with two guaranteed monumental bouts against Diaz and Woodley in the works, there is still the looming specter of undefeated Russian wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov, who last seen brutally dismantling Michael Johnson at November 12’s UFC 205 – the card where McGregor halted Eddie Alvarez to make history.

“The Eagle,” his coach, his teammates, and even a retired MMA legend have been spouting off that McGregor is ducking Nurmagomedov, but Roddy gave his own perspective from a respectful angle of thoughtful fight analysis before questioning if the fight was big enough for “The Notorious”:

“You can’t really doubt Khabib at this stage now. “He’s a phenomenal grappler — a phenomenal wrestler — but I don’t know whether the excitement is there, you know? Obviously, for Conor, it’s about the pay-per-views … about the money. Whether Khabib will hit the pay-per-views for him, I don’t know, but he’s definitely there. He poses a different threat, so it would be good to try and work out the strikes that are going to land on him.

If the UFC’s biggest superstar is to finally sign on to fight Nurmagomedov, Roddy focused on the belief that aside from his world-class wrestling, “The Eagle” can be hit, as evident by his two most recent performances since returning from a long layoff due to injury:

“He can be hit as well, I will say that,” Roddy continued. “He got hit a bit [against Darrell Horcher] and the same again [against Michael Johnson]. I believe that if you give Conor a chance to land once, I don’t know whether people can come back from that. But, it would be definitely an interesting fight. They’re the three names I suppose: Khabib, Woodley — because it would be just insane — can you imagine the excitement of that? That would be crazy. And then, obviously, you can’t argue with the Nate fight again.”

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Coach: Conor McGregor Is “100 Percent” Ducking Khabib

With Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, and even Floyd Mayweather heading a long list of candidates for Conor McGregor’s opponent after his lightweight title victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, it seems that top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov may get left in the dark. The dominant grappler has been more than vocal about finally getting the title shot

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With Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, and even Floyd Mayweather heading a long list of candidates for Conor McGregor’s opponent after his lightweight title victory over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, it seems that top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov may get left in the dark.

The dominant grappler has been more than vocal about finally getting the title shot he feels is long overdue, threatening to leave the UFC if he is not given the next opportunity.

And it’s hard to argue with the dominant wrestler following his own vicious destruction of Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson at UFC 205. The victory extended his perfect record to 24-0, meaning a shot at gold would seem to be inevitable, yet McGregor hasn’t been so agreeable.

Citing “The Eagle’s” frequent pulling out of fights due to injury, “Notorious” said he’s not interested in facing the Dagestan-born lightweight. That has lead to Khabib’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) coach Javier Mendez to offer his belief that McGregor is simply ducking his top lightweight:

“Yes, 100 percent, he is ducking Khabib,” Mendez told ESPN.com. “I know that from the words he is saying. ‘He doesn’t fight enough for my taste’? Give me a break.”

Mendez elaborated on his stance, noting that a third fight with rival Diaz is understandable, but there’s no reason to put Nurmagomedov down in the process, especially if he isn’t willing to fight him:

“You can say, ‘Hey, I want to fight Nate Diaz a third time.’ Fine. Say that. But don’t try to put my guy down because you are trying to avoid him. Don’t belittle my guy. That’s bulls—.”

The AKA head man believed “Notorious” was beyond ducking anyone when he faced Chad Mendes on short notice at July 2015’s UFC 189, but now is starting to think he’s gone back on that trend, as “The Eagle” would give his toughest test in the division:

“When he fought Chad Mendes, I thought it proved he wasn’t ducking anybody,” Mendez said. “But now he’s doing this and I’m thinking he’s trying to avoid Khabib. I think Khabib, [lightweight contenders] Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson all give Conor a hell of a fight — but the guy who gives him the worst time, by far, is Khabib. He’s the strongest grappler in the division.”

Finally, Mendez cleared up Khabib’s stance overall, calling “The Eagle’s” drive to fight McGregor simply about being the best, not getting a fight with MMA’s biggest star:

“That’s what he has said this whole time,” Mendez said. “And it’s not about fighting Conor. He doesn’t care if he fights Conor. He wants to fight for the title. He has no beef with any fighter out there. He wants the title to prove he’s the best, and he wants to defend it against the best.”

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Conor McGregor Wants Monstrous Payday To Box Floyd Mayweather

In the four days since Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, much of the talk in the MMA world has been focused on just whom ‘The Notorious’ will fight next. There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz,

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In the four days since Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, much of the talk in the MMA world has been focused on just whom ‘The Notorious’ will fight next.

There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz, and even a possible welterweight title fight versus Tyron Woodley, yet the one outrageous prospect that just won’t seem to fade away is his oft-discussed (but hardly realistic) boxing match with undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It could be becoming a bit more realistic after McGregor made history, and indeed the two superstars have kept the hype rolling by throwing smack talk at each other in public interviews. The Irishman continued that last night when he appeared at 1 OAK nightclub in NYC (courtesy of TMZ Sports), proclaiming that Mayweather didn’t want a ‘real fight’ in the DJ booth:

“Floyd’s not ready for this. Much respect to Floyd. He’s a solid businessman on what he’s been able to do. He’s a f**king animal at what he’s been able to do. But as far as real fighting … as far as true pure unarmed combat … Floyd don’t want none of this.”

“He wants a boxing match, he doesn’t want a fight.”I want a $100 million cash to fight him under boxing rules. He’s afraid of a real fight.”

As the biggest name in the UFC by a wide margin right now, McGregor almost made headlines right after his win over Alvarez when he demanded a stake in the UFC after new owners WME-IMG purchased the booming company for a staggering $4.2 billion this summer.

That may sounds like an extremely ridiculous proposition, but if his history in the UFC is any indication, McGregor gets what he wants. Given his recent track record of smashing records each and every fight, his employers may have no choice but meet him at the bargaining table.

The fight with Mayweather, while a distant possibility, is still a possibility, and would be a bout that had the potential to break every modern pay-per-view (PPV) record. It’s also an extremely lofty amount Mayweather’s team may not agree to pay ‘The Notorious.’

Will McGregor vs. Mayweather ever happen? Should it?

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