‘Shocked’ Eddie Alvarez eyes Tony Ferguson title eliminator after Nate Diaz turned him down

Eddie Alvarez and Nate Diaz seemed to have a rivalry brewing, as the two talented combatants had a run-in back in 2015 after Alvarez defeated Gilbert Melendez at UFC 188 in Mexico City.

That’s why Alvarez was “shocked” when he was informed by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that Nate recently turned down an offer to fight him. The former UFC lightweight champion expressed his disappointment during a recent chat on The MMA Hour.

Check it out:

“I really thought Nate Diaz would’ve fought me. He said a lot of stuff in Mexico, looks at me funny in the lobby and shit like that, so I thought if worse comes to worse, Nate will definitely fight me. So I was shocked when they gave him a bout agreement and he said no to that. I thought he would fight me for sure, so, I don’t know what’s up with him. We’re just trying to get somebody I can get excited about. We should know in a couple of days or so. If Khabib isn’t fighting Tony, I’d like to fight Tony.”

Eddie admits Nate’s not the only one turning down bouts, as he revealed that he was offered up opponents such as Dustin Poirier and Michael Chiesa, two foes who didn’t exactly excite him, saying he wouldn’t want to “go far back” and fight a “big name” instead.

After losing his 155-pound strap to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 -- the biggest card of 2016 — one can understand Eddie’s position, but did reveal that if an intriguing bout doesn’t come along, and soon, he’ll just go ahead and take anything available (like this), or take a poll and let fans decide.

And he prefers to get back in the cage at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. Anyone care to offer up some suggestions?