"My opponent would rather sit down and wait"- Rafael dos Anjos fires shots at UFC lightweight contender
Rafael dos Anjos has claimed that the opponent he is likely to fight next is not willing to scrap at UFC 264. The former UFC champion previously expressed his interest in competing on the July 10 card, which will be headlined by a bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
Responding to a fan who asked him about his supposed fight at UFC 264, the Brazilian accused his next opponent of not speeding up the contractual negotiations. Rafael dos Anjos claimed his opponent would rather "sit down and wait".
"My opponent would rather sit down and wait," tweeted dos Anjos.
Based on Rafael dos Anjos' recent callouts on Twitter, his said opponent could be No. 2-ranked lightweight, Justin Gaethje.
In April, Ali Abdelaziz claimed that the top five lightweight contenders have refused to accept a fight against Gaethje. Responding to Abdelaziz, dos Anjos said he would willingly challenge 'The Highlight'.
The Brazilian also noted that it would make sense for him to face Gaethje since all the top contenders already had fights booked.
Gaethje's last fight was against Khabib Nurmagomedov in October of 2020 at UFC 254. In the second round of the championship showdown, the Dagestani fighter got the better of Gaethje via a submission. Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA at the end of the fight.
Rafael dos Anjos wanted to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 264
Prior to the announcement of the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy bout, Rafael dos Anjos challenged 'The Notorious One' for a fight at UFC 264.
Rafael dos Anjos and McGregor were scheduled to fight each other at UFC 196 in 2016. However, the Brazilian was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
Nate Diaz stepped up on short notice up to save the day and fight the Irishman. He also handed McGregor his first loss in the UFC.
Rafael dos Anjos was able to recover from his injury and ended up defending his title against Eddie Alvarez in July of 2016. 'The Underground King' outclassed dos Anjos, defeating him in the second round via TKO.
After a brief stint in the welterweight division, Rafael dos Anjos returned to the lightweight division in 2020.