Khabib Nurmagomedov wants title shot, but calls Eddie Alvarez fight ‘not interesting’

The UFC lightweight division was shaken up in the month of July as a new champion was crowned on July 7 when Eddie Alvarez stopped reigning champion Rafael dos Anjos in the first round at UFC Fight Night 90. The bout result was an upset according to the oddsmakers and has thrown the division into a bit of uncertainty in terms of what’s next.

According to the top-ranked lightweight in the division, however, the choice of who Alvarez should face next is pretty clear.

“For me, it’s nothing changed because I always have only one goal. This is that. [Edson] Barboza, Eddie, RDA, Tony [Ferguson], it doesn’t matter. To me, it’s no problem. I have to take my belt. I want to fight for the title,” he said on Monday’s The MMA Hour.

The issue, it appears, is Alvarez is clamoring for the winner of UFC 202’s Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor bout. Diaz is not ranked as highly Nurmagomedov and it’s not clear what McGregor’s next move will be after his August rematch. Nowhere does the Dagestani lightweight fit into Alvarez’s wishes.

Interestingly enough, however, it’s not as if Nurmagomedov is all that excited to face Alvarez either, albeit for different reasons.

“Now, Eddie is champion. For me, Eddie is [not] interesting,” Nurmagomedov confessed. “For me, interesting is title fight. I have to to take this belt. That’s why I want to fight now with Eddie, but to be honest with you, Eddie is not interesting for me. But now Eddie is champion. That’s why I want to fight with him.”

Nurmagomedov explained he was moderately interested in a rematch with dos Anjos had he remained champion. The two have old history together from 2014 when he defeated the Brazilian via unanimous decision. RDA, so he’s been told, has improved considerably since then. As for Alvarez, ‘The Eagle’ doesn’t think much of him, only the object he holds around his waist.

“Before when he fight with dos Anjos, dos Anjos was, not too much, but a little bit interesting because people talk about he change after my last fight with him. People talk about this, but I beat dos Anjos already,” he said. …

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