Eddie Alvarez responds to criticism from Gilbert Melendez: He's still feeling those Diego Sanchez uppercuts

Alvarez and Melendez have gone back-and-forth for quite some time, but now that they are both fighting for UFC, their paths should eventually cross inside the Octagon.

Before Eddie Alvarez inked his deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after a year of legal battles, Gilbert Melendez renewed his own contract with the ZUFFA-owned company with hardly a hitch, leaving Bellator hanging high and dry.

As Gilbert puts it, their roads to the Octagon were vastly different because some people know how to do business better than others, which makes people like Alvarez "jealous."

According to Alvarez, "El Nino" re-signed with UFC simply to avoid having to fight him inside the Bellator cage; just like he's always done.

After those comments were brought to Gil's attention, he couldn't help but to offer a few comments of his own to MMA Weekly, saying that he isn't scared of Alvarez, but does admit he hasn't been on his radar for quite some time. That's because Alvarez has lost a "pep in his step" and he's no longer No. 1 in the world.

"(Alvarez) acts like it's real personal and stuff. I just wanted to fight him because he was No. 1 in the world. At this point, I don't feel that's the case. I haven't really been thinking about him for the last couple of years, to be honest. Maybe our paths will cross now and we can do it. I'm not scared, at all, of that guy. I think he's lost a little pep in his step, if you ask me, over the last couple of years. I thought Michael Chandler beat him the last time, too. That's how I see that."

Of course, those comments were then in turn brought to Eddie's attention and he told MMA Fighting that "El Nino" must still be feeling the effects of the uppercuts Diego Sanchez landed on him at UFC 166 during their back-and-forth brawl -- which went down over a year ago -- for making those remarks.

Furthermore, now that they are both finally fighting under the same mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, they will eventually run into each other. And when they do, Alvarez hopes the world title is on the line.

His words:

"Oh, is that what he thinks? Tell you what, I think Diego Sanchez must have really landed good with those uppercuts when they fought last year, if that's the case. He must still be feeling them. I hope Melendez beats Pettis. Nothing against Pettis, but I want Melendez to win that fight. I want to beat Donald and then finally get my hands on Melendez with the title up for grabs. Best of all worlds."

Melendez is currently slated to meet UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alvarez, meanwhile, makes his Octagon debut against Donald Cerrone in the co-main event of UFC 178, which goes down on Sept. 27, also in "Sin City."

And if the stars align and both Alvarez and Melendez prove victorious in their respective outings, the two may be able to finally settle their war of words inside the eight-walled cage.

Of course, this guy may have to say something about that.