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In reality, it's just less than 100 miles.

But the distance from the Kensington section of Philadelphia to Madison Square Garden might as well be 100 times that for one Eddie Alvarez.

The 32-year-old UFC lightweight champ will share a spotlight with octagonal supernova Conor McGregor on Saturday night, topping the promotion's history-making advance on midtown Manhattan.

Alvarez got his place in the Big Apple circus, though, thanks to a fighting spirit forged far from the intersection of 7th Avenue and West 33rd Street - specifically on corners, in bars and anywhere else that was convenient in one of Philadelphia's most rugged neighborhoods.

"I never said I'm going to start fighting and I'm going to be the best in the world at it," he said. "My original mind frame when I started was no one could beat me in a fight. I was 19 or 18 years old. You couldn't convince (me) I could lose a fight. You just couldn't. I'd laugh at you."

He initially strove for superhero status as a pint-sized devotee of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before filling out and becoming part of a high school wrestling dynasty at Philly's North Catholic.

Mat success on the Catholic League and statewide levels came next. But without the financial wherewithal to attend college, Alvarez was left to take a job with a concrete company and ultimately found his way into a nearby MMA gym.

He attended a UFC card in nearby Atlantic City, too, and was hooked.

"A friend invited me to train for a day and that was it. I fell in love," he said. "It wasn't even known. The sport wasn't really anything. No one knew nothing about MMA. I went, 'this is cool.'"

Still, it wasn't just brawn for the 5-foot-9, 155-pounder.

In fact, Alvarez has simultaneously toned his brain as a voracious reader, even though his selections were the residue of internal drive and not professor assignments.

"I consider myself to be a very learned individual," he said.

"I read a ton of books. I'm always reading at least one book at any given time. I've read about fighting, philosophy, war, psychology, success and business. I also read a lot about family and I constantly work on becoming a better husband and father. I'm always learning and trying to evolve as a human being."

The combat path evolved from curiosity to occupation within eight months and he won his first 10 fights as a pro on the way to racking up a Bellator lightweight crown in 2009.

A long legal haggle steered him toward a UFC contract and a September 2014 debut, and even though his initial appearance ended in disappointment - via three-round decision loss to Donald Cerrone - his subsequent three wins have yielded the high-profile match with McGregor.

The two men faced off for the first time at a September press event, which confirmed to Alvarez that he indeed belonged on the big stage with the "Notorious" one.

"My heart rate didn't go up not two beats," he said.

"I was standing in front of that man and I didn't feel anything. I don't know what was going on. Maybe I was just off that day. But this guy made me feel nothing. I don't get caught up in names. I just fight."

The two men will compete for the lightweight title Alvarez secured four months ago with a first-round stoppage of then-champ Rafael Dos Anjos. If McGregor wins, he'll add the crown to his featherweight belt and become the first dual-incumbent claimant in the organization's history.

The Irishman is a slight favorite to do just that.

But not surprisingly, the underdog champion expects a different result.

"It's just another step toward my goal of being recognized by not just some fans, but all fans as being the best lightweight in the world," Alvarez said. "I've controlled what I can control and taken the necessary steps to put myself in the position I'm in at this moment.

"A lot of people are going to show up to watch me beat this guy up. We're about to take out arguably the biggest name in MMA."