Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Rafael dos
Anjos revealed to Sherdog last month his decision to
permanently return to the welterweight division, even requesting
that his name be removed from the lightweight rankings.
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“That’s my decision. Unless there was an interesting proposal or
some fight that made sense among the lightweights,” dos Anjos said
then.
But this week the Brazilian seemed to find an interesting narrative
to accept a return to the division where he conquered the gold in
2015. After watching Michael
Chandler challenge Islam
Makhachev for the 155-pound belt, the Brazilian sent a harsh
message to the American on social media.
“How much is the opportunity to become a world champion worth? For
some of us, there is no price on a UFC belt. Mine is certainly not
for sale,” dos Anjos wrote on X. “Chandler should stop with his ‘see you at the top’ motivational speeches. It’s embarassing…”
Chandler didn’t take long to respond to the former champion in an
ironic way.
“Cool story… see you at the top!!!,” wrote the former Bellator
champion.
To that, the Brazilian replied: “I’m already here, friend. I
haven’t seen you yet.”
How much is the opportunity to become a
world champion worth? For some of us, there is no price on an UFC
belt. Mine is certainly not for sale. Chandler should stop his “see
you at the top” motivational speeches. It’s embarrassing…— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA)
July 2, 2024
I’ve been up here buddy, haven’t seen you
yet.— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA)
July 2, 2024
Sherdog was able to speak with dos Anjos about that exchange with
Chandler, and the Brazilian reiterated his challenge to the former
Bellator champion.
“He is losing his credibility with the fans waiting for
a money fight that might never happen,” dos Anjos
said. “I don’t doubt the fans today would rather see my fight with
Conor than his. I fought 34 times for the UFC in the last 16 years
— fighting the very best of two divisions being the first Brazilian
to conquer the lightweight belt. Chandler fought five times for the
UFC in two years, three of those were losses. This speech [see you
at the top] definitely doesn’t make any sense.”