After McGregor, UFC champ Eddie Alvarez focused on No. 1 contenders: 'I'll make UFC great again'

The UFC lightweight division historically has been one of the most difficult to stay champion, with no fighter defending the belt more than three consecutive times. Current divisional kingpin Eddie Alvarez, however, thinks he has what it takes to buck the trend.

Alvarez (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who looks for his first title defense when he meets Conor McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in next week’s UFC 205 headliner, said his goal is to be the most successful titleholder the division has seen.

Alvarez, No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, already owns UFC wins over No. 3-ranked Rafael dos Anjos, former champ Anthony Pettis and honorable mention Gilbert Melendez. He said on Thursday’s UFC 205 media conference call that he expects No. 1-ranked featherweight McGregor to be an easy addition to what he predicts to be a long line of title victories.

“I want to go down as the best lightweight in UFC history – that’s what I’ll go down as,” Alvarez said. “I’ll start with him, but then I’ll make UFC great again and continue to fight the No. 1 guys who belong here.

“I sincerely feel, and felt, I deserve a break. This will be my break, and then we’ll get back to some real (expletive), fighting the real No. 1 contenders who fight the best guys and earn their way to the title – not the guys who have a funny accent and sell tickets.”

UFC 205 takes place Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main card, including the Alvarez vs. McGregor lightweight title fight and main event, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Although lightweight contenders such as Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov have solid cases for title shots, Alvarez’s first gets McGregor. The current UFC featherweight champion moves up a weight class in hopes of becoming the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC titles.

Alvarez first mentioned the possibility of fighting McGregor following his title-winning TKO of dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90 in July, citing “The Notorious “as a “gimme” fight compared to what he’s experienced in the UFC so far. Alvarez also knew McGregor would be the most high-profile opponent he could get, which translates into more exposure and PPV buys. He couldn’t pass up that option.

“I went in the UFC, and they put me against every single killer in the division one by one by one by one,” Alvarez said. “I didn’t know why. I thought it was because I was coming in a foreign champion from a foreign promotion, but I felt like they put me against murderers’ row, and I survived. I won the world title.

“I wasn’t kidding to the media that I thought this style matchup was a good style matchup for me. I thought it was easier than what they were feeding me, and I thought financially it would be the best decision. I was killing two birds with one stone. I was getting the easier fight. On top of that, it happened to financially be the best decision. I was killing two birds with one stone. I was getting an easier fight schedule as well as making more money.”

Alvarez said he anticipates having his way with McGregor on fight night, but the Irishman said he feels the same. McGregor predicted a first-round knockout and even went as far to claim he will retire Alvarez from MMA competition. Alvarez unsurprisingly brushed off that notion and warned McGregor to approach the bout with caution, or things could get ugly in a hurry.

“I know what I’m capable of, and I can get it done in any manner,” Alvarez said. “If he even thinks about wrestling, his defense is atrocious. He has good striking. His striking is well, but his defense is terrible. Terrible defense. Might be the worst in the division. If he even thinks about wrestling, I might just knock him the (expletive) out before that. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but you guys are all in for a treat.”

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