Kevin Lee ran into 'old, washed-up' Eddie Alvarez at TUF Gym – then got his autograph

Eddie Alvarez and Kevin Lee aren’t opposing coaches on the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but that didn’t prevent the lightweights from having an encounter in Las Vegas.

Alvarez (28-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a former UFC lightweight champion, is currently filming Season 26 of the long-running reality series opposite Justin Gaethje. “Motown Phenom” wanted one of coaching spots, in part because he thinks the current pair will produce horrendous television, but UFC officials went a different direction.

Outspoken Lee (16-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) made is clear he’s not afraid to mix it up with anyone in his weight class. Each Tuesday night, The Ultimate Fighter Gym is the set of Dana White’s Contender Series, and as a Las Vegas resident, Lee decided to pop in for this week’s card.

He ran into Alvarez while entering the gym, and while the interaction was mostly lighthearted and comical, there was a clear competitive undertone (via Instagram):

I love it when old, washed up, retired fighters come back and support the new generation. Appreciate it @ealvarezfight. I would've stayed and gave you some tips but I got work to do #MTP #25toLife

A post shared by Kevin MTP Lee (@motownphenom) on Jul 25, 2017 at 1:58pm PDT

Alvarez also took to Instagram to post his perspective of the encounter:

No fighter can exist by himself , without the fans , We are just men foolishly fighting . This fan deserved more than most .. Thank you for all your support

A post shared by Eddie Alvarez (@ealvarezfight) on Jul 25, 2017 at 3:43pm PDT

“TUF 26” debuts Aug. 30 on FS1 with Alvarez and Gaethje coaching a cast of women’s flyweights who fight in a tournament to determine the UFC’s first champion in the weight class. Lee, meanwhile, is looking for his next fight after his first-round submission win over Michael Chiesa in June’s UFC Fight Night 112 headliner.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.