Rafael dos Anjos slams "top five little club" at lightweight, says he's done chasing 155lbs title
Rafael dos Anjos has revealed that he has no intentions of fighting in the lightweight division again and will only consider dropping down in case of very specific opponents.
In a recent interview at the UFC on ESPN 42 event media day, dos Anjos was asked how his decision to move up to welterweight came about. He replied:
"I had my last title run on that [Lightweight] division. I'm looking to fight at a comfortable weight for myself right now... Because of these rankings, the top five little club, they just want to fight between them. I had to take the fight with Fiziev and I lost the fight. I said, hey man, you can take me out of the rankings and I'll fight at welterweight."
Upon being asked if he would ever consider returning to fight at lightweight, 'RDA' stated:
"Just for some very specific fights that I have in mind, I'll do that again. But, yeah, I don't have any plans to win the title in that division any more. I'll be honest with you."
Watch Rafael dos Anjos's full interview on MMA Junkie's YouTube channel below:
While it seems unlikely that Rafael dos Anjos will return to fight at 155 lbs anytime soon, he is all set to face his next opponent, Bryan Barberena at the UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Holland event.
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Rafael dos Anjos has expressed his interest in fighting Conor McGregor at welterweight
Rafael dos Anjos has claimed that he is open to fighting Conor McGregor at 170 pounds and stated that he looks forward to facing big-name fighters ahead. With 'Notorious' potentially making a return to the UFC octagon, dos Anjos considers him a sensible opponent.
Speaking at the aforementioned media day event, 'RDA' said:
"Conor's fighting at 170, I think. I don't see him fighting in 155 anymore, but we'll see. That's the fight that makes sense too. We'll see what happens."
When asked about his future plans and whether he was only interested in fighting big-name opponents ahead, the No.7-ranked lightweight said:
"Yeah, definitely. Guys that have a lot to bring to the table. Guys that have been there before. I think being a former champion... I'm looking for guys that make sense to me. Guys with a lot of fights, too, and legends of the sport, and I think that's what I'm looking for."
After his loss to Rafael Fiziev in July, Rafael dos Anjos took to Twitter to admit that he is unlikely to be in title contention again. The Brazilian also stated that he would love to face opponents like Jorge Masvidal and Tony Ferguson.