Rafael dos Anjos | Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos believes he will have a stylistic edge against Leon Edwards at UFC San Antonio.
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos isn’t all that intimidated by his opponent’s current hot streak of wins ahead of UFC San Antonio. Paired up against Leon Edwards to headline UFC on ESPN 4, the Brazilian believes that many aspects of the fight actually make the bout a good matchup for himself.
In an interview with Combate, Rafael pointed out that he has shared the Octagon with some of the toughest men in the UFC, and although he respects Edwards seven-fight winning streak, he still feels like he will have an edge over “Rocky”.
“He’s taller and a southpaw, too. I’ve shared the Octagon with some of the toughest men in the welterweight division. Edwards is on a seven-fight winning streak, that’s not easy (to accomplish). He’s not that well-ranked, but I think the division has gotten complicated in after the past few fights.”
“I’m in no condition to sit on the couch just waiting for other fights’ results,” Rafael continued. ”So when I got the call from Dana White to take this fight on a five-week notice, I took it. I told him: ‘He’s taller, tough, but I do well against tall guys’. I think that’s one of my advantages in the fight. He’ll try to take me down, he’s very well-rounded, it’s going to be good. He welcomes a grappling fight, too, so many aspects favor me in this fight.”
In his last outing, in May, Rafael dos Anjos (29-11) scored a submission win over Kevin Lee via arm-triangle choke. The victory snapped a two-fight losing skid for the former champion, who dropped unanimous decisions to both Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.