Rafael dos Anjos is glad Georges St-Pierre vacated the middleweight title, and says other ‘champs’ should do the same.
It came as no surprise when, yesterday, newly-crowned UFC middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre announced that he would be vacating the title.
St-Pierre cited health reasons for relinquishing the belt (he is reported to be suffering with ulcerative colitis), although many fans instinctively knew that his venture into the middleweight division would be short-lived.
Former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos praised St-Pierre for the move on social media, congratulating GSP for not stalling the division like other ‘champs’.
Great move @GeorgesStPierre I’m big fan because of attitudes like that. Example to be follow for others “champs”
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) December 8, 2017
He is thinking about other fighters and not stuck the division
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) December 8, 2017
One of the ‘other champs’ Dos Anjos could be referring to is Conor McGregor, who has yet to defend any of his UFC titles. The Irishman was stripped of the featherweight belt almost immediately after capturing the lightweight title at UFC 205, where he knocked out Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden in the main event.
McGregor, 29, also never defended his Cage Warriors titles, as ‘The Notorious’ signed with the UFC shortly after beating Ivan Buchinger to win the Cage Warriors lightweight championship in 2012.
It’s been over a year since McGregor fought in the UFC, as the combat sports megastar has spent most of 2017 embroiled in drama with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the boxing world. McGregor lost to ‘Money’ via 10th round TKO and, despite initially promising to return to the UFC to ‘legitimize’ the rankings, the Dubliner recently hinted that his next fight could be in the boxing ring.
Dos Anjos, who now competes in the welterweight division, will take on former 170-pound champ Robbie Lawler at UFC on FOX 26 on Dec. 16.