Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Rafael dos
Anjos is ready to get back in the cage soon. After 14 days of quarantining and recovery from his positive
COVID-19 diagnosis, dos Anjos posted on his Instagram on Friday
about his first training session with Emerson
Falcao at
Nova Uniao. Dos Anjos was originally booked at
UFC 254 to face Islam
Makhachev on Oct. 24, and the former champ is hoping that he
can get that fight re-scheduled.
Right after his training ended, dos Anjos spoke with Sherdog. “I
got really bad in the first week,” he admitted. “A lot of pain all
over my body, fever, strong headache. Monday I was feeling better
and did some running and today [Friday] I did some striking
training with Falcao.”
Dos Anjos and his manager are waiting for a call from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to finally
decide if his fight with Makhachev will be postponed or if they
will bring another opponent.
“I believe that sickness postponed everything three weeks, once
they couldn’t find an opponent for him in Abu Dhabi. [I] hope they
can [replace] my fight with Makhachev as soon as possible [in Las
Vegas]. Nov. 15 or 21 would be great. We are just waiting for a UFC
call to set up the date,” dos Anjos explained.
The Brazilian also spoke about his great experience doing his first
camp in Nova Uniao.
“I just have great things to say,” dos Anjos said excitedly. “For
the first time in my life I did a camp with the whole team
supporting me. I’ve always heard great things about [head coach
Andre] Pederneiras, but this experience here was above all my
expectations. Besides having a great team of tough lightweights
that provided me great sparring every day, Pederneiras knows
everything about all fighting aspects. I was having a hard time to
find sparring to train in California, and here I found everything I
needed.”
The only Brazilian to ever capture the UFC lightweight title, dos
Anjos is also being helped by the same nutritionist of Jose Aldo to
make his return to lightweight possible. After a sequence of five
losses in six fights at welterweight, dos Anjos will make his
return to lightweight. He will presumably face one of champion
Khabib
Nurmagomedov’s chief training partners, Islam
Makhachev. The Russian is currently ranked #13 at lightweight
at
on the Sherdog official rankings, getting there by winning each
of his last six bouts.
