Former UFC champion offers to be replacement for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler clash
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos said on Twitter that he would be willing to step in as a replacement for the Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler bout, scheduled to take place later this year.
Rafael dos Anjos, or RDA for short, did something of a QNA session with fans on Twitter. One fan asked him if he would be willing to step in as a late notice replacement, to which dos Anjos replied:
@Felipe_VAndrade Certo
When translated to English from Portuguese, this literally means "right," although in this context, we could interpret it as meaning something along the lines of definitely.
One user asked RDA if he was "hoping" to fight McGregor at 170, to which he replied:
@Current_MMA Not hoping but if it means to happen it will happen
From these answers, one can infer that RDA isn't chasing the McGregor fight per se, but is open to fighting the Irishman, even if it is on short notice. This will sound sweet to the ears of the UFC. In case, Michael Chandler is unable to make the bout, 'The Notorious' appears to have a willing opponent in Rafael dos Anjos.
Rafael dos Anjos was scheduled to face Conor McGregor at UFC 197
Newer fans may not know that Rafael dos Anjos was, in fact, set to defend his lightweight belt against Conor McGregor all the way back at UFC 197. After McGregor beat Jose Aldo, he announced his intentions to step up in weight class and challenge for the lightweight belt.
At the time, RDA was the lightweight champion after beating Anthony Pettis at UFC 185, and defending against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in 2015. The matchup between McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos was set, and the two even had a press conference in anticipation.
Watch as things get heated between McGregor and dos Anjos:
Unfortunately, for RDA, he had to pull out of the fight due to an injury to his foot. McGregor launched a verbal assault against dos Anjos, and it appears that the latter has not forgotten about it. Recently, he beat Bryan Barbarena and took the mic to call out Conor McGregor.
Watch as Rafael dos Anjos calls out Conor McGregor in 2023: