UFC Singapore preview: Rafael dos Anjos looking for fresh start at 170 pounds

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos is set to make his 170-pound debut against ex-Strikeforce welterweight kingpin Tarec Saffiedine at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 111 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set for Sat., June 17, 2017 inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

Red-panty night feels like a lifetime ago.

Dos Anjos (25-9) is abandoning his post at 155 pounds — rather hastily — after coming up short in back-to-back defeats to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson, with the former costing the Brazilian his division crown.

While the move up to welterweight was a surprising one, especially considering his 10-1 run from 2012-15, the Brazilian, 32, has publicly loathed his cut to the lightweight division, which undoubtedly got harder after saying goodbye to his twenties.

“For how much I’m making right now, it’s not worth it for me to make 155 (pounds),” Dos Anjos told MMA Junkie. “If it’s a superfight and I’ll make more money, I’ll do it. But (for) how much I’m making right now, it’s not worth it to put my body at that level of stress.”

That said, the field is getting increasingly crowded at 170 pounds.

Saffiedine (16-6) — who struggled to stay healthy after crossing over from the ranks of Strikeforce — is also coming off a pair of recent losses inside the cage, getting outworked by Rick Story and Dong Hyun Kim to close out his 2016 fight campaign.

This might be a do-or-die situation for the Belgian brawler.

Who ya’ got?

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 111 fight card on fight night (click here), starting with the UFC Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET, before the UFC Fight Pass main card start time at 8 a.m. ET.

For much more on this weekend’s UFC Fight Pass event click here.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos is set to make his 170-pound debut against ex-Strikeforce welterweight kingpin Tarec Saffiedine at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 111 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set for Sat., June 17, 2017 inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.

Red-panty night feels like a lifetime ago.

Dos Anjos (25-9) is abandoning his post at 155 pounds — rather hastily — after coming up short in back-to-back defeats to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson, with the former costing the Brazilian his division crown.

While the move up to welterweight was a surprising one, especially considering his 10-1 run from 2012-15, the Brazilian, 32, has publicly loathed his cut to the lightweight division, which undoubtedly got harder after saying goodbye to his twenties.

“For how much I’m making right now, it’s not worth it for me to make 155 (pounds),” Dos Anjos told MMA Junkie. “If it’s a superfight and I’ll make more money, I’ll do it. But (for) how much I’m making right now, it’s not worth it to put my body at that level of stress.”

That said, the field is getting increasingly crowded at 170 pounds.

Saffiedine (16-6) — who struggled to stay healthy after crossing over from the ranks of Strikeforce — is also coming off a pair of recent losses inside the cage, getting outworked by Rick Story and Dong Hyun Kim to close out his 2016 fight campaign.

This might be a do-or-die situation for the Belgian brawler.

Who ya’ got?

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 111 fight card on fight night (click here), starting with the UFC Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET, before the UFC Fight Pass main card start time at 8 a.m. ET.

For much more on this weekend’s UFC Fight Pass event click here.