Alvarez says Nurmagomedov just wants to fight 'wounded gazelles'

Eddie Alvarez was cageside Saturday night in Atlantic City to hear another lightweight contender Kevin Lee call for his title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was the second week in a row that the winner of the card's main event called for a championship matchup in one of the UFC's best divisions.

The former lightweight title holder Alvarez says he's not too worried about Lee or Dustin Poirier or anyone else in the division taking the belt off of Nurmagomedov, but does believe he's the one the champion should be worried about.

"I know, 100 percent, matchup-wise, wrestling, stylistically, I watch the champion fight a lot. I am the guy to beat the champion," Alvarez told media Saturday night, according to MMAjunkie's Ben Fowlkes and John Morgan. "Not Dustin Poirier. Not Conor McGregor. Not anyone. I understand who I lost to, who I won (against). I’m the best style matchup.

"The champion don't want to fight me right now. He knows. He's going to pick off the wounded gazelles one by one. He's going to take the good style matchups. I understand. Take them. I'll be waiting in the end."

One of the "wounded gazelles" Alvarez was referring to is Al Iaquinta, the 11th-ranked lightweight who lost to Nurmagomedov in a title match after taking the fight on a day's notice April 7. Alvarez says he isn't particularly impressed with Nurmagomedov's champion status given who he's defeated to gain the strap.

"What's funny about this whole thing is, Khabib wasn't a champion," Alvarez said about Nurmagomedov, who will be out of action until fall after observing Ramadan. "Now he's the champion after beating No. 11. Let's just get that out in the open. He says, 'paper champion, who's fake champion, who's real champion?' You beat number 11, and now you're champion. So think on that. Pray on that during Ramadan."