WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is not looking past Eddie Alvarez, his upcoming opponent at UFC Fight Night 90. But beyond July 7, dos Anjos is already considering the future challengers to his 155-pound belt.

“I think to get a title shot you need to have some expressive winnings,” commented dos Anjos (25-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC), who will look to defend his title for the second time. “[We’re] talking about a fight for a world title.”

First capturing the belt in March 2015 with a dominant decision victory over new featherweight transplant Anthony Pettis, dos Anjos has won five straight bouts dating back to April 2014.

And while the UFC’s first Brazilian lightweight champion has defeated the likes of Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and former champion Benson Henderson, it’s the last man to outpoint dos Anjos, Khabib Nurmagomedov (23-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who is clamoring for a second bout, this time with the title on the line.

“His last fight was against a guy with a full-time job, and I beat Diaz, Pettis, Ben Henderson, Cerrone, and I earned it,” dos Anjos said. “I earned my title.

“You can’t just beat a guy that went there just to cover some guy that got an injury and then this guy, after two-and-a-half years, get a title shot.”

Dos Anjos, of course, knows first-hand about the long road to a UFC title shot. After losing his first two bouts inside the octagon, dos Anjos would eventually go on to win eight of nine contests to earn his first crack at the belt.

It’s that same prolonged durability and consistency that dos Anjos has demonstrated over the last decade that the champion feels Nurmagomedov first must display before allowing the elite Dagestani wrestler a chance to fight for the title. Dos Anjos also believes Nurmagomedov needs a few more high-profile wins to cement his place as the No. 1 contender.

“[Alvarez is] a guy that earned it,” dos Anjos said. “He beat two former world champions. He beat Anthony Pettis. He beat Melendez. [Nurmagomedov] beat one guy with a full-time job.”

Aside from Nurmagomedov, there is another viable challenger for dos Anjos beyond Alvarez (27-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on July 7. Tony Ferguson (20-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who will look for his eighth-straight win when he takes on Michael Chiesa (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who has also emerged as a legitimate contender, in the UFC Fight Night 91 headliner. And dos Anjos feels the former The Ultimate Fighter winner has the resume to campaign for a shot.

Ferguson owns stoppages over lightweight stalwarts Abel Trujillo and Gleison Tibau, a pair of fighters who also lost to Nurmagomedov, albeit it by decision. Ferguson also finished Edson Barboza on short notice, when Nurmagomedov pulled out of a December 2015 bout, whereas the Russian needed two rounds to stop UFC rookie Darrell Horcher, when Ferguson was forced from an April 2016 booking. Nurmagomedov’s other UFC scalps include two fighters who have since been released by the promotion (Kamal Shalorus and Pat Healy), and another who has dropped down to featherweight (Thiago Tavares).

“I think Ferguson’s the guy,” offered dos Anjos. “He’s fighting Michael Chiesa now, probably will be the next contender.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 90, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.