Khabib Nurmagomedov has a message for Eddie Alvarez: Win a few fights before asking for a title shot

Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it very clear he feels he's the next contender to vie for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title after Gilbert Melendez gets his crack at division kingpin, Anthony Pettis.

One "El Nino" doesn't deserve, according to Khabib.

Nurmagomedov, undefeated at 22-0, wants to let the rest of the division contenders know they may as well save their breath and stop calling dibs.

That includes recent Bellator import Eddie Alvarez, who many believe may have a short road to the promised land if he can just get past Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 on Sept. 27, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While "The Eagle" recognizes Eddie's accomplishments as a former Bellator lightweight champion, fighting under the bright lights of UFC is an entirely different level of competition.

That's why he declared (via UFC Tonight) that the self-professed "King of the Underground" has to win a few fights inside the Octagon, like those before him, before he can call for a shot at the title.

His words:

"I know I am after Gilbert Melendez. Not Ben Henderson, not Rafael dos Anjos, no Cerrone, no Eddie Alvarez. Eddie Alvarez is 0-0 in UFC. He's Bellator lightweight champion, I know, but UFC is another level. For example, Daniel Cormier was the Heavyweight Grand Prix champion in Strikeforce; he come in UFC and win three, four fights before getting title fight. You want to go for a title fight? Come win three or so fights in UFC and and then get title shot. I'm 6-0 in UFC, undefeated, 22-0 and I deserve my title fight."

Good call on the "DC" example.

In Eddie's defense, he hasn't necessarily been calling for a shot at the title since signing with the promotion a few weeks back; though he has made it clear that is his end goal.

Still, Khabib is just offering him some advice before he starts running his gums to the higher-ups at ZUFFA, begging for a shot at the gold, as he'll need to have a few wins inside the eight-walled cage under his belt to prove his worth.

A victory over "Cowboy," a longtime staple in the organization, would be a mighty fine start.