Eddie Alvarez thinks former opponent Justin Gaethje was the most worthy name of all options to land in the UFC 324 interim lightweight title fight.

With much discussion around who was the most deserving pair to fight for the interim belt while Ilia Topuria takes a hiatus from competition, former UFC and Bellator champion Alvarez had no doubt that Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) should’ve been one half of the equation opposite Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) for the Jan. 24 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).

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“I think Justin Gaethje deserves everything he gets,” Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “For Justin Gaethje to get any kind of title shot, of anyone in that division who put their time in (it’s him). Look at the list of who Justin Gaethje has fought and didn’t blink an eye. Literally the who’s who. How are you ever going to tell that guy, regardless of record or whatever, that he doesn’t deserve something?

“Just to me, in that division right now, with Islam (Makhachev) moving up and not coming back, I don’t think he’s ever coming back, Justin would be the most deserving considering his strength of schedule and how he fights, how he puts opponents away. Arman (Tsarukyan) should be pissed about this fight. I imagine he’s freaking out, but UFC first is an entertainment company and second a sport.”

The decision to book Gaethje vs. Pimblett and leave Tsarukyan as the odd man out has once again led to debate about the balance between merit and entertainment when it comes to UFC matchmaking.

Alvarez said he’s not surprised by it after more than two decades around the sport, and it’s why he thinks Pimblett is being positioned well to win. He knows, however, that Gaethje won’t accept that lightly.

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“I started in 2003. I started in an era when UFC was about to go bankrupt, so I’ve watched this sport grow and move and transform and evolve all along the way,” Alvarez said. “It’s entertainment first. PRIDE was the same way. But as a business there’s that fine line of, ‘We need to make money, and we need to keep the legitimacy of our sport alive.’ I think they do a good job for the most part. More and more you’re going to have to put these big fights on what the fans wants. And the customer is always right, brother.

“The UFC of course is going to want Paddy to pull through, and it’s hard to bet against the machine. I think if anybody can beat the machine, it’s Justin Gaethje. He’s very unpredictable. Very unpredictable.”

Today marks the eight-year anniversary of Alvarez’s Fight of the Year contender with Gaethje at UFC 218 in December 2017. He won by third-round TKO and handed “The Highlight” his first loss in MMA competition on that night, and that result was a critical part of Gaethje’s evolution as a fighter.

Alvarez said he trained and spent multiple days in 2023 with Gaethje and his team in Colorado before his BKFC 41 fight vs. Chad Mendes in Denver, and during that time he got first-hand experience to the growth since they competed – and he thinks that gives him a good shot at victory vs. Pimblett.

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“I’ve seen a dramatic change,” Alvarez said. “Him and Trevor Wittman, they added Kamaru Usman to their camp. They got Carrington Banks there, Cory Sandhagen. The mind and knowledge inside of there is – it’s a small room. It’s a small room of like-minded people, and they strategize and put together really good game plans with Trevor. I got to witness it first hand.

“The strength of schedule is just not there when it comes to Paddy. There’s still a lot of questions that need to be answered that still haven’t been answered. But he’s good. Paddy’s good. I’ve seen streaks of really great things inside his fights. Especially with scrambling and being able to create scrambles and being able to get himself in positions and winning positions with the jiu-jitsu. He has really good jiu-jitsu. He plays into Justin’s weaknesses really well if he scrambles into that chaos.”

To hear more from Alvarez, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast above.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Former UFC champ likes Justin Gaethje’s chances vs. Paddy Pimblett