Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight champion Conor McGregor stayed put at welterweight to rematch Nate Diaz at the UFC 202 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Sat. night (Aug. 20, 2016) in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he captured a hard-fought majority decision win (watch it).
Following a "sloppy" performance, according to 155-pound kingpin Eddie Alvarez.
But there's a very strong possibility that McGregor abandons his featherweight post for a crack at the lightweight crown, which means the talking heads in the mixed martial arts (MMA) media will be peppering him with questions about his "Notorious" challenger.
"I've fought the best guys in the world, I look up to a lot of the guys I fight, Alvarez told Jon Anik and Kenny Florian (via MMA Fighting). "I see them as some of the best guys. I try to challenge myself against them. But when I beat a legit guy who I feel has taken his time in this sport and is a real fighter and then I get done with the fight and I get asked about this Irish dude it's really kind of disappointing to me, because the guys I've fought were way higher caliber than this guy."
Alvarez wasn't the only one blasé on the UFC 202 performance.
The former Bellator champion captured the crown by wasting Rafael dos Anjos earlier this year, but has not yet been slotted for a return bout. Assuming he can escape a recent medical suspension, McGregor could be ready to go by UFC 205 in November.
Alvarez vs. McGregor in the "Big Apple?" Time will tell.