Tony Ferguson takes huge offence to Eddie Alvarez’s self-appointed title

While the UFC lightweight champions are sitting on the sideline, Eddie Alvarez has been fighting.

Following his latest win over Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez appointed himself the UFC's most violent man. Very few people took issue with the claim, partly because the fight was an instant-classic, partly because it's probably true. During a recent appearance on 'the MMA Hour,' the 'Underground King' had some choice words about the legitimacy of the two titles in the division. The reason why he invented himself a title was because he saw no real value in the other belts.

"For right now, shit just isn't defined with the title and there's just not a lot of value in it. What value is in it? There's an interim guy who beat the number seven guy to become the champion. That's not a champion. You can't bring a number seven ranked guy in and then put him against the number one contender and he beats him and they say, 'Now you're the champion.' That's silly."

https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/937182721968869376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Lightweight belt-holder Conor McGregor has ignored the comment so far, but the same can't be said of the interim king. Tony Ferguson has fired back at the comments on Friday, pointing to his divisional record of 10-straight wins as proof that he is worthy of his strap. https://twitter.com/TonyFergusonXT/status/941605114606788608 Alvarez claims that he is set to sit down with Dana White to discuss a potential megafight opportunity. Alas, Ferguson doesn't appear to be the opponent he has in mind, judging his response.

I would rip your skinny body apart if I cared to fight you , but I don't care to fight You soo ... Merry Christmas "Champ" ???

— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) December 15, 2017

https://twitter.com/Ealvarezfight/status/941690784729923585 We wouldn't say no to Ferguson vs Alvarez should McGregor opt to turn down a unification bout and relinquish his title. However, Ferguson is just after undergoing elbow surgery which will keep him out for a while. Also, the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Edson Barboza may feel hard done by if Alvarez gets the crack at the belt ahead of them. Dustin Poirier would also feel ticked off. He has unfinished business after their bout ended in a 'No Contest' because of illegal knees.