Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos looked great in his bout against Neil Magny in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 215 PPV (pay-per-view) event. Now, he wants the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. According to “RDA,” he thinks his victory over Magny solidified it for him.
RDA improved to 2-0 since he moved up to 170 pounds earlier this year. He picked up a first-round submission win over Magny at the event, which took place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Going into the bout, dos Anjos believed that he was already on the cusp of a fight with Woodley. If you recall, RDA was booked as an alternate if top contender Demian Maia would’ve been unable to fight Woodley at UFC 214. Maia ended up taking the fight and lost an underwhelming unanimous decision to the champion.
“This division’s wide open; all the top-five, top-six guys in this division have lost to the champion or to the last challenger, which was Demian Maia,” dos Anjos said after UFC 215 (transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie). “(Stephen) Thompson lost twice to Woodley already. I’m the new blood in this division. I was getting ready to fight Woodley if Maia didn’t take the fight, but he ended up taking the fight. But I was getting ready for it, so here I am.”
Dos Anjos wants to take some time off from competing due to the fact that he has fought twice in a three-month stretch. Dos Anjos thinks he’s the most probable candidate for a title shot.
“I’m the former lightweight champion looking forward to being a two-division champion,” dos Anjos said. “I know Woodley has an injury, but I need some time off now. I fought three months ago in Singapore. I just fought now. I was preparing for Woodley, but Maia took the fight. I don’t want to lose what I was training already, so I called (UFC matchmaker Sean) Shelby and said, ‘Hey, I want to fight, if you have somebody.’ Then the opportunity with Neil Magny came up. We’ll see. My goal is to fight for the title.”
“One thing I can be sure, is we’re going to fight,” dos Anjos said. “I’m not going to let him walk around, and I’m going to make sure I push the pace. I’m not saying I will not use my strategy. Of course I will. But I will walk forward. I have confidence in me, in my cardio, and I’m going to make him work.”
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