Former Lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos calls out Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz for UFC Welterweight debut

Talk about diving in head first! Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will move up to Welterweight after dropping back-to-back fights to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson in an attempt to right his sinking mixed martial arts (MMA) ship.

But, “RDA” isn’t looking for an easy transition into his new division, calling out two big names for his eventual 170-pound debut.

“I think Robbie Lawler is a good name and a fight that interests me,” he told MMAjunkie. “Nick Diaz. I think I can beat these guys for sure. Those are some of the names on my mind right now.”

Interestingly enough, Lawler and Diaz were briefly linked to throw down again later this year; however, UFC president Dana White revealed that the Stockton slugger declined a “Ruthless” rematch. And since Diaz is seemingly only interested in “big-money” fights, the chances of dos Anjos getting a showdown against him are rather slim. As far as Lawler goes, that seems more feasible, though nothing has been heard from the hard-hitting brawler in quite some time.

If dos Anjos had his say in the matter, he’d like to make his Welterweight debut on June 3, 2017, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is the time and place for the upcoming UFC 212 pay-per-view (PPV) event.

“I want to fight in Brazil,” he said. “I just heard about the show with (Max) Holloway and (Jose) Aldo (at UFC 212). My last fight in Rio was in 2007, and I would love to have a chance to fight in my hometown again.”

The event is set to be headlined by an Featherweight title unification bout between current division king, Jose Aldo, and interim title holder, Max Holloway (details). Adding a bit more local flavor would be a nice treat for the fans and the company, too.

Talk about diving in head first! Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will move up to Welterweight after dropping back-to-back fights to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson in an attempt to right his sinking mixed martial arts (MMA) ship.

But, “RDA” isn’t looking for an easy transition into his new division, calling out two big names for his eventual 170-pound debut.

“I think Robbie Lawler is a good name and a fight that interests me,” he told MMAjunkie. “Nick Diaz. I think I can beat these guys for sure. Those are some of the names on my mind right now.”

Interestingly enough, Lawler and Diaz were briefly linked to throw down again later this year; however, UFC president Dana White revealed that the Stockton slugger declined a “Ruthless” rematch. And since Diaz is seemingly only interested in “big-money” fights, the chances of dos Anjos getting a showdown against him are rather slim. As far as Lawler goes, that seems more feasible, though nothing has been heard from the hard-hitting brawler in quite some time.

If dos Anjos had his say in the matter, he’d like to make his Welterweight debut on June 3, 2017, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is the time and place for the upcoming UFC 212 pay-per-view (PPV) event.

“I want to fight in Brazil,” he said. “I just heard about the show with (Max) Holloway and (Jose) Aldo (at UFC 212). My last fight in Rio was in 2007, and I would love to have a chance to fight in my hometown again.”

The event is set to be headlined by an Featherweight title unification bout between current division king, Jose Aldo, and interim title holder, Max Holloway (details). Adding a bit more local flavor would be a nice treat for the fans and the company, too.