Oh C'mon guys. Everybody knows Alex got fast tracked. But he deserved it in some way.
I think he have 34 when UFC hired him (very close to end his prime), the guy is the only double champ in glory history that defended both belts simultaneously.
The fact that Izzy was wooping MW division so bad to a point that the division was becoming boring, suddenly we found that guy with a lot of accomplishments and with 2 wins over the current champion ? Its obvious that everyone want to watch it.
Alex 1st opponent was a full grapller guy, Bruno Silva has some kind of wrestling too, and tbh, Alex was trying to figth any ranked guy at that time, I remember him asking for cannonier atm.
And Strickland was the only one with balls to take that AP figth, and poatan was a big underdog with +300.
If brunson, vettori, or hermanson have accepted to figth, I bet Alex would take anyone. And tbh, Brunson probably could have a very good 1st round, just to get knocked out cold in the modlle of 2nd round when the first left hook hits his glass chin.
Vettori is a very tough match up to Alex tbh, the guy has solid wrestling and the best chin in UFC history, Alex doesn't have the same movement that adesanya possess, so I think that's probably one of the worsts match ups for him in MW.
Whittaker could probably be one of the hardest ones to him, but he's involved in another.matches that time. He moves a lot and have that solid wrestling, but I can see Alex putting him Down with 1 clean shot.
Strickland was really the only "leapfrog" UFC gave him, and due to MW circumstances at that time, his shot was legit.
I think he pretty much deserved his shot at LHW too due to 2 champions vacating, and he beating Jan.