AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
He’s from Brazil but is now based in the US
A 31-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, in 2012 Rafael dos Anjos and his wife moved to California, where they still live with their two sons. Dos Anjos made the permanent switch due to a lack of training partners near his home in Brazil and the decision has paid dividends. At the time his UFC record was 4-4. Since relocating he has gone 10-1.
Advertisement
He’s not the only UFC champion on his team
At Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, dos Anjos is joined by fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum, who became the UFC heavyweight champion last year when he shocked Cain Velasquez. Werdum claimed they turned down a request from Conor McGregor to train at Kings MMA before his fight against Jose Aldo last month, but this was refuted by McGregor’s camp. In an interview last September, Kings MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro said: ”This guy [Conor McGregor] is a joker. He has to stay in his division [featherweight]. If he goes up [to lightweight], people are going to kill him.”
He’s not at all dissimilar to Jose Aldo
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with impressive Muay Thai skills, dos Anjos has similar attributes to Conor McGregor’s most recent victim. As well as displaying significant signs of improvement in his striking game recently — three of dos Anjos’ last five wins have come via (T)KO — he’s also a third-degree BJJ black belt under Aldo Januario, so he possesses a grappling game with the potential to cause problems for McGregor.
AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
He’s been beaten five times in the UFC
Dos Anjos has completely revived his career in the last couple of years after an inauspicious start to life in the UFC. He lost as many times as he won in his first eight outings, and although he suffered a unanimous-decision defeat to undefeated contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in April 2014, dos Anjos has looked superb ever since. He’s currently on a five-fight win-streak and is the only man to defeat former lightweight champion Benson Henderson via (T)KO. He’s only been stopped twice in an 11-and-a-half-year professional career, and his other notable wins include Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz and Evan Dunham.
His UFC title win was one of the biggest shocks of 2015
Anthony Pettis was expected to overcome dos Anjos comfortably last March at UFC 185, but the Brazilian’s renaissance continued against the odds. Despite being a 4/1 underdog, dos Anjos dominated Pettis over five rounds to become the first Brazilian fighter to win the UFC lightweight title. Afterwards, dos Anjos claimed to have torn the MCL [medial collateral ligament] in his knee a couple of weeks before the fight. After recovering from the injury, he needed just 66 seconds to successfully defend the belt for the first time at the expense of Donald Cerrone on 19 December.
He won’t have a size advantage against the featherweight champ
McGregor may be making the move up to a heavier division for the fight on 5 March — featherweight [145lbs] to lightweight [155lbs] — but he shouldn’t have to worry about being smaller than his opponent. According to their respective UFC profiles, both fighters are 5’9″ in height and McGregor actually possesses a three-inch reach advantage. Their rivalry has been brewing since they exchanged words at the UFC’s ‘Go Big’ press conference in Las Vegas last September…
https://www.facebook.com/The42.ie/videos/1033785376683951/
He’s the bookmakers’ favourite
At the time of writing, the bookies fancy dos Anjos’ chances against McGregor at UFC 197. Dos Anjos is priced at -130, with McGregor available at +100 (via BestFightOdds).
Seven things you should know about Conor McGregor's next opponent
He’s from Brazil but is now based in the US
A 31-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, in 2012 Rafael dos Anjos and his wife moved to California, where they still live with their two sons. Dos Anjos made the permanent switch due to a lack of training partners near his home in Brazil and the decision has paid dividends. At the time his UFC record was 4-4. Since relocating he has gone 10-1.
He’s not the only UFC champion on his team
At Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, dos Anjos is joined by fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum, who became the UFC heavyweight champion last year when he shocked Cain Velasquez. Werdum claimed they turned down a request from Conor McGregor to train at Kings MMA before his fight against Jose Aldo last month, but this was refuted by McGregor’s camp. In an interview last September, Kings MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro said: ”This guy [Conor McGregor] is a joker. He has to stay in his division [featherweight]. If he goes up [to lightweight], people are going to kill him.”
He’s not at all dissimilar to Jose Aldo
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with impressive Muay Thai skills, dos Anjos has similar attributes to Conor McGregor’s most recent victim. As well as displaying significant signs of improvement in his striking game recently — three of dos Anjos’ last five wins have come via (T)KO — he’s also a third-degree BJJ black belt under Aldo Januario, so he possesses a grappling game with the potential to cause problems for McGregor.
He’s been beaten five times in the UFC
Dos Anjos has completely revived his career in the last couple of years after an inauspicious start to life in the UFC. He lost as many times as he won in his first eight outings, and although he suffered a unanimous-decision defeat to undefeated contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in April 2014, dos Anjos has looked superb ever since. He’s currently on a five-fight win-streak and is the only man to defeat former lightweight champion Benson Henderson via (T)KO. He’s only been stopped twice in an 11-and-a-half-year professional career, and his other notable wins include Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz and Evan Dunham.
His UFC title win was one of the biggest shocks of 2015
Anthony Pettis was expected to overcome dos Anjos comfortably last March at UFC 185, but the Brazilian’s renaissance continued against the odds. Despite being a 4/1 underdog, dos Anjos dominated Pettis over five rounds to become the first Brazilian fighter to win the UFC lightweight title. Afterwards, dos Anjos claimed to have torn the MCL [medial collateral ligament] in his knee a couple of weeks before the fight. After recovering from the injury, he needed just 66 seconds to successfully defend the belt for the first time at the expense of Donald Cerrone on 19 December.
He won’t have a size advantage against the featherweight champ
McGregor may be making the move up to a heavier division for the fight on 5 March — featherweight [145lbs] to lightweight [155lbs] — but he shouldn’t have to worry about being smaller than his opponent. According to their respective UFC profiles, both fighters are 5’9″ in height and McGregor actually possesses a three-inch reach advantage. Their rivalry has been brewing since they exchanged words at the UFC’s ‘Go Big’ press conference in Las Vegas last September…
https://www.facebook.com/The42.ie/videos/1033785376683951/
He’s the bookmakers’ favourite
At the time of writing, the bookies fancy dos Anjos’ chances against McGregor at UFC 197. Dos Anjos is priced at -130, with McGregor available at +100 (via BestFightOdds).
McGregor v dos Anjos set to top mouthwatering UFC 197 bill in March
UFC to host ‘landmark events’ in two European countries for the first time
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Conor McGregor mixed martial arts MMA Rafael Dos Anjos RDA Red panty night UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship