Former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos thinks his welterweight bout against Robbie Lawler should be for the interim title.
Rafael dos Anjos wants the interim welterweight title wrapped around his waist should he get past Robbie Lawler in December.
A belt will not be on the line in dos Anjos vs. Lawler, which the UFC confirmed Thursday, but because champion Tyron Woodley is currently recovering from a shoulder injury, the Brazilian thinks there should be.
Am’I the only one that thinks that this fight should be for a interim title? Since the champ is out until next year?
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) October 12, 2017
“Am I the only one that thinks that this fight should be for an interim title,” dos Anjos wrote on Twitter soon after the Lawler bout was announced, “since the champ is out until next year?”
The former UFC lightweight titleholder later reiterated his message on Instagram, declaring the matchup an interim title fight “no matter what the headlines say.”
It appears that many disagree with dos Anjos’ sentiment, however, as the welterweight contender followed his first tweet up with this:
I love my hatters
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) October 12, 2017
“I love my hatters (sic),” he wrote.
Dos Anjos moved up to the 170-pound division earlier this year due to his weight cut to 155 pounds getting more difficult as time went on. He nearly missed weight ahead of his second title defense against Eddie Alvarez, which he would lose by first-round TKO, in July 2016. Following a second consecutive loss to Tony Ferguson, Dos Anjos is now on a two-fight winning streak with victories over Neil Magny and Tarec Saffiedine.
He will meet Lawler, a former UFC welterweight champ, in the UFC on FOX 26 main event. The card is set for Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Dec. 16.