Eddie Alvarez needs a contender to step up and challenge for his UFC lightweight title. 

Currently, the two most logical choices are perhaps Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both of whom are riding some of the longest winning streaks in the stacked 155-pound division.

Nurmagomedov (23-0) has yet to taste defeat in his career, which includes seven bouts under the UFC banner. In his most recent fight, Nurmagomedov walked away with a second-round TKO over promotional newcomer Darrell Horcher at UFC on FOX 19 this past April.

This marked his first appearance inside the Octagon since April 2014. Since then, a myriad of injuries forced Nurmagomedov to watch from the sidelines.

Ferguson (21-3), meanwhile, the winner of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, is coming off a submission win over another promotional newcomer in Landon Vannata at UFC Fight Night 91, extending his win streak to eight. 

Prior to this performance, Ferguson picked up stoppage wins over Edson Barboza, Gleison Tibau and Abel Trujillo while earning a decision over former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. 

All this adds confusion for Alvarez, who has yet to face a challenger for his strap. 

"Look at the case between Tony Ferguson and Khabib," Alvarez said during an interview on SiriusXM Rush's "The Countdown." "Tony Ferguson is 8-0, he's been active for the last God-knows-how-what, he's been finishing opponents, been on a tear. Khabib's fought once in three years, and he's number one and he decides he wants a title shot? The last guy he beat was virtually un-ranked, maybe top 100 in the world, and he's the number-one guy in the world." 

While it doesn't make sense to Alvarez, ultimately, it doesn't matter, either. 

"So who says that? Who makes that up? Who appoints him number one?" Alvarez asked. "That being said, make the fights that make sense. Make the fights the fans want to see. Who gives a sh*t about the rankings?"

Both Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been scheduled to square off against one another on two separate occasions. The first time, Nurmagomedov withdrew after suffering a broken rib in camp. However, it was Ferguson who pulled out of their second scheduled matchup after coughing up blood in the weeks ahead of the event.

So with neither of his potential next opponents proving they are durable enough to even make it to title fight, Alvarez revealed he has another foe in mind. 

"The number-one contender [Nurmagomedov] in my weight class has fought once in about the last three years or something," Alvarez said. "So I'm a little nervous about fighting a guy like that who barely shows up to fight. So Conor [McGregor] and Nate [Diaz], they're the guys on my radar. One of them, I'd really like to get my hands on."

Diaz and McGregor are currently scheduled to do battle Aug. 20 in the main event of UFC 202.

​​By Jose Youngs