Tag: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor

UFC Contender Hopes Conor McGregor Loses To Rafael dos Anjos

Whether you love him or hate him, Conor McGregor is leading the way in mixed martial arts right now, but one welterweight contender in particular is hoping the Irishman loses to Rafael dos Anjos… UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is certainly not in the fight business to make friends. His outspoken manner has seen him

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Whether you love him or hate him, Conor McGregor is leading the way in mixed martial arts right now, but one welterweight contender in particular is hoping the Irishman loses to Rafael dos Anjos…

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is certainly not in the fight business to make friends. His outspoken manner has seen him both revered and despised by certain sects of mixed martial arts fans, but in fairness to McGregor that’s the case with most fighters. The hopes of the Irish nation firmly rests on his shoulders as ‘The Notorious’ takes on Rafael dos Anjos for the 155-pound title at UFC 196, and they’ll be hoping for a repeat performance of his stunning KO victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 194.

McGregor’s draw to even the casual fan is undeniable, but his appeal to certain fighters is limited to say the least. One welterweight contender in Demian Maia is actually hoping for ‘The Notorious’ to get beaten by RDA, and it all stems from some of the Irish striker’s recent comments. He revealed that he wants a crack at Robbie Lawler’s welterweight belt if he is able to top dos Anjos, and the sixth ranked 170-pounder Maia is not keen on the idea.

Demian Maia

Here’s what the Brazilian grappling ace told MMAFighting.com just yesterday:

“(It would be) Sad (if McGregor got a shot against Lawler), you know, because that’s crazy,” Maia said. “We are athletes, and we work very hard in our way to the title. I understand that this fight would make a lot of money, but as an athlete, I don’t agree with that. I can’t disagree more.

“If you think okay, you gotta work, do a couple fights at least to prove that you can fight because it’s a different division. But, at the end of the day, I don’t think he will win against Rafael.”

“It’s too much weight difference,” he said. “I think it’s a different body type. Rafael is very tough, he proved that in his last fights. I’m sure (Conor) has his chance, of course. He proved that against Aldo.

“Most people that understand the sport didn’t think he was going to win, and he did in a fashion way. It was crazy. I was shocked. I went to the corridor to watch the fight, just relax, and when the things happened I was shocked. I was really, ‘what the f—’.”

“Yeah, I will,” said Maia when asked if he would be pissed if McGregor gets a shot at the welterweight title.

“I hope he doesn’t win (against dos Anjos),” 

“Give me that title shot if I win,” said the Brazilian. “If I win that fight I wanna fight for the title. Forget about McGregor.”

Conor McGregor 197

McGregor might disagree, but to a certain extent Maia is right for the wrong reasons. Yes money is more important to the UFC and that sucks, but the effect on the featherweight division if he Conor takes a fight at welterweight could be devastating. Sure, the promotion could run an interim title, but will they do that for a trilogy maker between Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar perhaps?

That said, a three weight world champion would just be insane.

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Video: Conor McGregor Grounds & Pounds Ahead Of UFC 196

UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will likely be facing his toughest test to date when he moves up in weight to challenge reigning 155-pound kingpin Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Up until this point, McGregor has backed up his brash and relentless

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UFC featherweight champion the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will likely be facing his toughest test to date when he moves up in weight to challenge reigning 155-pound kingpin Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Up until this point, McGregor has backed up his brash and relentless trash talk with seven consecutive Octagon wins including six by way of T/KO. The Irishman is also coming off of a shocking 13-second demolition of former 145-pound boss Jose Aldo at last December’s UFC 194

With that being said, dos Anjos has looked like a different animal as of late, winning five straight including multiple one-sided beatings over the likes of former champions Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, as well as highly-touted contenders Nate Diaz and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Despite his much improved striking, it’s important to note that the Brazilian’s strengths lie in the area of McGregor’s perceived weakness: wresting and grappling. The Irishman was repeatedly taken down by Chad Mendes at UFC 189 before scoring a second-round knockout.

Dos Anjos has been known to inflict relentless pressure and wrestling on his opponents, and possesses a third degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

As the event nears closer, it appears as if McGregor has been working on his ground game, releasing a video earlier today (February 14, 2016) via his official Instagram account of his latest sparring session which featured some ground and pound work:

Roses are red, violets are blue, here is some precision ground and pound for you! #HappyValentinesDay

A video posted by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on

While the video looks to just be some light training, one would have to believe that McGregor has worked endlessly on his grappling. Although he’s predicted an early knockout, he obviously won’t be able to let his strikes go if he can’t keep the fight standing.

Do you see the Irishman making history on March 5th?

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Video: Conor McGregor Blasts Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar At Awards Show

Reigning UFC featherweight champion and Irish phenom the “Notorious” Conor McGregor made waves with his speech after winning “Fighter of the Year” at the recent Fighter’s Only Awards show. Unable to attend the event, McGregor filmed his acceptance speech, in which he called out a majority of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, specifically heavyweight

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Reigning UFC featherweight champion and Irish phenom the “Notorious” Conor McGregor made waves with his speech after winning “Fighter of the Year” at the recent Fighter’s Only Awards show.

Unable to attend the event, McGregor filmed his acceptance speech, in which he called out a majority of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, specifically heavyweight champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum.

However, it now appears as if Werdum wasn’t the only one bashed by the 145-pound king, as new video footage from Fighter’s Only features McGregor taking shots at Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Nate Diaz as well.

Edgar, who appears to be next in line at featherweight, has been campaigning for a shot at McGregor for quite some time now, while Diaz called out the Irishman after his most recent win over Michael Johsnon last December.

Check out what the brash McGregor had to say about each man and his money below:

“The who’s who of MMA I’m sure is there in their badly fitted suits, having a penny in their pocket,” McGregor said. “I heard Nate Diaz couldn’t even afford to fly over to Las Vegas for the ceremony. Frankie Edgar… I heard he’s dressed like a little Sheikh servant or something struggling to make a few quid.

“Hard work pays so take notes,” he continued. “Stop holding bitterness deep in your bum soul. Stuck on 20,000 to show and 20,000 to fight. I wipe my ass with that money. I tip your wage in a year.”

Enjoy the full video below:

McGregor is currently slated to take on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Edgar will likely get his shot at the “Notorious” one if and when McGregor gets around to defending his featherweight title, and a showdown between McGregor and Diaz could go down in the future given the outcome of UFC 196.

Does McGregor have what it takes to dethrone RDA and simultaneously hold two titles at one time?

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Coach Wouldn’t Be Surprised If Conor McGregor Fought Robbie Lawler At UFC 200

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to make history in just a few weeks as he aims to become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes. The “Notorious” one will take on reigning lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las

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UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to make history in just a few weeks as he aims to become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes.

The “Notorious” one will take on reigning lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Despite having an extremely tall order in front of him, could we possible see McGregor challenge for a third world title as early as this summer? His head coach John Kavanagh wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that way:

“I’ve seen that rumors of Conor fighting Robbie Lawler for the 170-pound belt at UFC 200 on July 9 have been gathering momentum. It’s not something we have discussed specifically but after Conor wins the lightweight belt, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the next fight is for the welterweight belt,” McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh wrote in a post on The 42 on Thursday.

“If that’s what Conor wants to do, I’ll absolutely support that move. I think that would be fantastic. We’re already talking about making history in a few weeks, but can you imagine what it will be like if Conor is the champion in three weight classes by the summer?”

Due to the fact that he cuts a tremendous amount of weight to fight at featherweight, moving to 155-pounds was likely from the onset for McGregor, and he’ll likely size up well with the lightweight elite.

That being said, moving up another 15 pounds to welterweight is a different story. Once again, Kavanagh isn’t worried, noting that with proper time McGregor could be a force at 170-pounds:

“As time goes on, it’s harder to predict what will happen in the future. Conor has a sort of unusual body type in that even though he can make featherweight, he’s still a very big lightweight,” Kavanagh explained.

“Given some time, as well as a bit of strength and conditioning work, he could also be a force at welterweight. This is an interesting time.”

While holding two titles at one time has been unheard of in the UFC, being a three-weight world champion just seems silly to even fathom about. If any man could do it, however, it would be the brash Irish knockout artist.

What do you think the future holds for McGregor?

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White To McGregor On Poster Controversy: You’re Right, Conor

At last month’s UFC 196 (previously UFC 197) press conference, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor made it vividly clear that he wasn’t happy with the promotional posters for the event. McGregor is scheduled to move up in weight and challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title on March 5, 2016 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

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At last month’s UFC 196 (previously UFC 197) press conference, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor made it vividly clear that he wasn’t happy with the promotional posters for the event.

McGregor is scheduled to move up in weight and challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title on March 5, 2016 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the press conference, the “Notorious” one was angered that he wasn’t holding his title on the poster, and that his belt wasn’t sitting in front of him at the time. While only dos Anjos’ title is on the line, the fight is indeed a battle between two champions.

UFC president Dana White said at the time that the reasoning was, in reality, because RDA was the defending champion, but it seems as if he has since changed his tune.

With the rescheduling of the events, a new poster was forced to be made, and this time, each man has his title with the bout being billed as champion vs. champion. Recently speaking on the changes with the Grant and Danny show (via MMAFighting), White admitted that McGregor was right:

“Conor made his argument, ‘This is a superfight. I’m a [145]-pound champion. He’s the [155]-pound champion. My belt should be represented even though I’m not defending my belt.’

“And I said, ‘You know what? You’re right, Conor. All right, we’ll do it,” White recalls.

In the end, the UFC boss acknowledged that he had a super fight on his hands, making the switch up a necessity:

“We actually switched the poster and they’ve both got their belts and it’s champion vs. champion,” said White. “It’s a superfight: 45 vs. 55 for the 55-pound title.”

Check out the new and improved poster below courtesy of the UFC:

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Dana White Doesn’t See How McGregor Beats dos Anjos

UFC featherweight kingpin the “Notorious” Conor McGregor is moving up next month for his toughest test to date, as he’s set to take on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada. Looking to become the first man in promotional history to simultaneously hold two

The post Dana White Doesn’t See How McGregor Beats dos Anjos appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC featherweight kingpin the “Notorious” Conor McGregor is moving up next month for his toughest test to date, as he’s set to take on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 196 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Looking to become the first man in promotional history to simultaneously hold two titles, McGregor has a tough task ahead, and UFC president Dana White seems to have trouble seeing how the Irishman will get the job done:

“I don’t see how he wins this fight,” White told At The Buzzer. “He’s the 145-pound champion. He can stay in his own lane.”

Dos Anjos has indeed been on a tear as of late, winning five straight bouts all in dominant fashion. As White put it, the “Notorious” one is jumping up in weight to take on an “animal”

“This guy is moving up to 155 to take on an animal, who destroyed Cowboy Cerrone, destroyed Anthony Pettis. And this isn’t boxing, where you move up two or three pounds. You move up 15 pounds!”

Check out the full video below:

Although the jump from featherweight to lightweight is only ten pounds, White may have a point as many have deemed dos Anjos a terrible stylistic matchup for McGregor.

Aside from his world class submission skills, the Brazilian has used pressure wrestling, and much improved striking to run a demolition course through the lightweight division.

While the knockout artist in McGregor may very well be one of the best strikers in mixed martial arts (MMA), his ground game has always remained a question mark.

That being said, the “Notorious” one feels as if he will continue his UFC unbeaten streak and make history in the process. While White may not be able to see how he gets the win, I’m sure Mystic Mac has a clear vision in his head of what he plans to do.

Do you agree with the UFC boss, or will McGregor topple yet another Brazilian champion?

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