"He didn't hurt me at all" - Rafael dos Anjos claims Khabib Nurmagomedov fight could be different with a better fight camp
UFC veteran Rafael dos Anjos has claimed that his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov would have been different if he had a better fight camp.
While speaking to former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum on the Nem Me Viu podcast, dos Anjos revealed how a freak injury prevented him from performing at his best:
"In that fight [vs. Khabib] specifically, I was training with Benny in the cage, just us sparring. When we got close to the cage, my ear got stuck in the cage, I got 14 stitches behind the ear. I went to the hospital with a loose ear... This happened around 3 months before the fight... Until I got home, recovered and regained the confidence to train grappling, it took 4 to 6 weeks.
I didn't do grappling training for that fight... I did more like a Muay Thai training, striking training, to fight the best grappler in UFC history... 40 days after that fight, I fought again. In other words, he didn't hurt me at all... If I had trained well, better grappling and all, I would have been able to do better..." [h/t Brazilian MMA Legends on YouTube]
Watch Rafael dos Anjos talk about his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
Nurmagomedov handed Rafael dos Anjos a loss with six takedowns en route to a unanimous-decision win at UFC on Fox 11 back in 2014. Khabib remained undefeated in the division, ending his career with a 29-0 MMA record. He also won the lightweight title while beating some of the best, including dos Anjos, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor in his career.
Apr19.2014
Khabib Nurmagomedov extends his professional record to 22-0,
when he dominates Rafael dos Anjos https://t.co/QZZQhIQU5x
Rafael dos Anjos had claimed Khabib Nurmagomedov agreed to come out of retirement to face him
The former lightweight champion claimed that Nurmagomedov would return to the octagon if he beat Nurmagomedov's teammate Islam Makhachev back in 2021. Dos Anjos tweeted stating that 'The Eagle' would be willing to avenge Makhachev's loss by fighting the Brazilian himself:
"I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that,"
I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that.
Since then, Makhachev has progressed leaps and bounds in the division and will fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in October at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. Rafael dos Anjos lost to rising lightweight Rafael Fiziev in his last octagon outing.
While many have called for Khabib to return to active competition after announcing his retirement, the Dagestani has laid all speculation to rest.