LAS VEGAS (AP) – UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez had barely put on his new belt when he took a swing at Conor McGregor.
Shortly after Alvarez won the 155-pound title with a dramatic first-round stoppage of Rafael Dos Anjos on Thursday night, he called out the popular Irish fighter and questioned his mixed martial arts abilities.
When asked whether he would like to fight McGregor in the future, Alvarez praised his recent opponents, including Dos Anjos and former champion Anthony Pettis.
“I would ask (UFC President) Dana White, ‘Please give me an easier fight like Conor McGregor,'” Alvarez said. “I deserve that. I’ve been fighting the best guys, so I would like a gimme fight. So, Conor, I’d more than welcome that.”
Alvarez later expounded on his opinions about McGregor, whose brash public persona and dramatic knockouts turned him into one of the UFC’s biggest stars in a remarkably short time.