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your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king
Rafael dos
Anjos is confident that he would have crushed Conor
McGregor in the main event of
UFC 264. Booked as a reserve fighter for the main event of UFC 264, dos
Anjos (30-13) was not able to step in the Octagon last Saturday
because both Dustin
Poirier and McGregor were cleared to compete. The longtime MMA
veteran dos Anjos spoke to Sherdog on Thursday, while on a camping
trip with his family, about the headliner of UFC 264 that he
watched intently. He had strong thoughts on how he would have
performed had he been tapped as the alternate.
“I saw McGregor [at the] weigh-ins and he looked sloppy, skinny
like a little boy,” dos Anjos remarked. “I was sure Dustin would
win again. But Conor was lucky it was not me. My game is much worse
for him than Dustin’s. I have no doubt I would [have] smashed
him.”
When asked about the danger of facing Poirier or McGregor out of
his best shape, the man known as “RDA” guaranteed that it would not
have been a problem.
“I don’t want to look arrogant,” he said, “but I don’t need to be
100 percent to face Poirier or McGregor.”
Dos Anjos hit the scales at 156 pounds as an alternate, taking to
the stand early that morning to prove a point. Having returned from
surgery following his win over Paul Felder
in November 2020, merely reaching the lightweight limit was a win
in his books.
“I offered myself to be [a] reserve fighter because it was a great
opportunity for me,” the Brazilian explained. “I had surgery four
months ago. Being in shape and hitting the limit of my division
four months later was a great win.”
Dos Anjos continued, “Right after a serious surgery like I did,
where I was unable to walk for two weeks, it is natural that you
gain weight. Having a goal to reach is the most important thing for
a fighter. When UFC accepted my offer, I set a goal that on July
10, I [would] reach 155 pounds. That was very important to me to
show how hungry I was to get the title.”
The fighter ranked
ninth at welterweight and
10th at lightweight on the Sherdog official rankings then
looked to the future about potential matchups for him. To get in a
full camp, dos Anjos plans on returning to lightweight in a few
months, and he has a couple targets in mind.
“I want to return in September,” dos Anjos stated. “[Michael]
Chandler just wants to fight in winter, around December; [Justin]
Gaethje just wants to fight for the belt; a rematch with [Tony]
Ferguson would be interesting. And there are a couple of other
possibilities we are studying. I hope soon we have that deal set
up.”
