Rafael dos Anjos reacts to Paul Felder stepping up on short notice at UFC Vegas 14
Rafael dos Anjos had some nice things to say to his new UFC Vegas 14 opponent Paul Felder.
dos Anjos was originally supposed to face Russian Islam Makhachev, who was forced to withdraw from the bout after getting a staph infection.
Paul Felder, who is semi-retired and moonlighting as a commentator for the UFC, decided to trade in his suit and tie for a pair of shorts and 4-ounce gloves at least one more time to step up on five days' notice and face Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of this Saturday's offering at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion, took to social media to thank and praise 'The Irish Dragon' for stepping up on super-short notice.
"We need more fighters like you @felderpaul thank you for take the fight and save the show," dos Anjos tweeted.
Rafael dos Anjos' tweet to Paul Felder also a shot at Michael Chandler?
While the Rafael dos Anjos' tweet looks a lot more like a show of gratitude and respect to Paul Felder for stepping up to the UFC Vegas 14 main event on short notice, it could also easily be seen as a subtle shot at the man who dos Anjos originally called out to step up, new UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler.
When Islam Makhachev pulled out a day ago, dos Anjos immediately went on Twitter to wish his original opponent well and also call out Chandler, who was tapped as a potential back-up fighter for the UFC 254 main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.
Chandler refused the offer however, stating that he had 'other plans'.
Not surprisingly, dos Anjos wasn't too pleased with Chandler's refusal and posted a little subtweet.
Chandler responded to the RDA tweet in kind, saying that it was impossible to cut weight that quickly, and that he wasn't officially offered the fight with dos Anjos.
Regardless of the beef brewing between himself and Chandler, dos Anjos will have to put that aside for how, as he already has someone to focus on this weekend in Paul Felder.
While many people have praised Paul Felder for stepping up big time, praise should also be given to dos Anjos, who is willing to accept a short notice fight as well, as stated by UFC commentator Jon Anik.