Tag: Rafael Dos Anjos

Rafael Dos Anjos Talks ‘Lunatic’ Conor McGregor, Eyes Submission Win at UFC 197

UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has promised to “finish” Conor McGregor when the pair meet in March.
Fresh from his brutal defeat of Jose Aldo in December 2015—to claim the featherweight crown—McGregor has decided to step up …

UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has promised to “finish” Conor McGregor when the pair meet in March.

Fresh from his brutal defeat of Jose Aldo in December 2015—to claim the featherweight crown—McGregor has decided to step up to 155 pounds to face Dos Anjos in a bid to hold an unprecedented two titles at once.

The Brazilian champion has sent out a warning to his UFC 197 opponent that he is going to show the Irishman the “worst side of the game,” and he called into question his defeat of Aldo, per SB Nation’s Guilherme Cruz:

Aldo was going to be the first to show him that, but there was no fight. I won’t call it luck, but a moment of distraction from Aldo. Maybe he got too emotive and tried to finish it quickly, but I won’t be like that. I will be calm and kick his ass for good. I want to finish him. I want to submit him, actually. Sometimes you knock someone out and the way they go down isn’t nice, but when you submit someone… I want to make him quit, I want him asking me to stop. That’s what I want.

McGregor is undefeated in seven fights in the UFC at featherweight, with his most recent defeat of Aldo a fast and brutal beating of the long-term champion, per BT Sport UFC:

Dos Anjos has questioned whether he can keep himself from hitting the Irishman before the pair meet in the Octagon, but he is confident he can beat the outspoken McGregor, per Cruz: “I will be there to defend my belt and send him back to the featherweight division so Aldo can finish him for good. … The most complicated part of all this will be control myself so I don’t put my hands on this lunatic before the fight, but I will hold on, be cool, and beat him up on March 5. It’s going to be beautiful.”

The Notorious has quickly become one of the biggest draws in the UFC, and his fight with Dos Anjos is already attracting a huge amount of attention.

It is a quick turnaround from the Aldo fight, although McGregor had to do little, as he knocked out his opponent in 13 seconds at UFC 194.

However, he is taking a big risk in stepping up to face Dos Anjos, and although he will be confident, Ronda Rousey’s recent unexpected humbling at the hands of Holly Holm should give him pause for thought.

Both Dos Anjos and McGregor will be confident they can prevail come March 5, and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top with the Irishman breaking new ground.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Conor McGregor: Frankie Edgar Has A ‘Stink Of Desperation’

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to become the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-belt holder when he takes on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 197 from Las Vegas, Nevada. After he knocked out longtime former champion Jose Aldo in a mere 13 seconds at December 2014’s UFC

The post Conor McGregor: Frankie Edgar Has A ‘Stink Of Desperation’ appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to become the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-belt holder when he takes on lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 197 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

After he knocked out longtime former champion Jose Aldo in a mere 13 seconds at December 2014’s UFC 194, the overarching belief was that the ‘Notorious’ would take on Frankie Edgar next, but he surprised by moving up a weight class for an immediate title shot at dos Anjos. The mega-popular champ spoke up at today’s UFC 197 press conference to explain his reasoning for taking that route, noting that the only reason he’s fighting dos Anjos is because he’s in possession of the 155-pound belt:

“I chose this one because I came into this promotion as a two-weight world champion, I had always wanted to replicate that; create history, continue to create history. And this man across from me has a title. He has nothing else but that. He is a free TV fighter; he has nothing else to offer me except that gold belt, so that was the simple decision.”

Not surprisingly, McGregor also took the opportunity to explain his decision to pass Edgar once again, believing ‘The Answer’ to be less than deserving after three failed title shots, which he now thinks has dealt him an air of desperation. Find out what he said on the next page…

The post Conor McGregor: Frankie Edgar Has A ‘Stink Of Desperation’ appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC 197 Press Conference LIVE At 2 PM EST

With one of the biggest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events of all-time set to go down when featherweight champ Conor McGregor moves up to meet lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at March 5’s UFC 197 from Las Vegas, the promotion is ramping up the buzz for the potentially historic with a press conference starting at

The post UFC 197 Press Conference LIVE At 2 PM EST appeared first on LowKick MMA.

With one of the biggest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events of all-time set to go down when featherweight champ Conor McGregor moves up to meet lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at March 5’s UFC 197 from Las Vegas, the promotion is ramping up the buzz for the potentially historic with a press conference starting at 2 p.m. EST today.

Watch the full event featuring McGregor, dos Anjos, women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, her challenger Miesha Tate, and more below:

The post UFC 197 Press Conference LIVE At 2 PM EST appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Video: UFC 197: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor Press Conference

ufc-197-dos-anjos-mcgregor

https://youtu.be/3AQ7dlmZIFU

UFC announced on Wednesday that they will be holding the first press conference for their UFC 197: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor pay-per-view.

Hosted by UFC President Dana White, the presser will be streamed live via UFC.com and will feature UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.

You will be able to watch the UFC 197 press conference live here at MMANews.com via the YouTube player embedded above.

UFC 197: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“UFC announced today that it will host a press conference for UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. PT at MGM Grand in Studios A & B. All four fighters from the championship bouts will be present. The event, which will be streamed lived on UFC.com, will be hosted by UFC President Dana White.”

ufc-197-dos-anjos-mcgregor

https://youtu.be/3AQ7dlmZIFU

UFC announced on Wednesday that they will be holding the first press conference for their UFC 197: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor pay-per-view.

Hosted by UFC President Dana White, the presser will be streamed live via UFC.com and will feature UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.

You will be able to watch the UFC 197 press conference live here at MMANews.com via the YouTube player embedded above.

UFC 197: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“UFC announced today that it will host a press conference for UFC® 197: DOS ANJOS vs. McGREGOR on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. PT at MGM Grand in Studios A & B. All four fighters from the championship bouts will be present. The event, which will be streamed lived on UFC.com, will be hosted by UFC President Dana White.”

Lorenzo Fertitta On UFC Fighters Violating New Reebok Policy: “I Think It’s Not Fair”

lorenzo-fertitta

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently spoke with The Boston Herald about his growing frustration with the “very, very small minority” of fighters who aren’t complying with the new UFC/Reebok uniform and sponsorship policy.

As reported last week, UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos, as well as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Nate Diaz violated the policy. With these three being the aforementioned “very, very small minority,” Fertitta addressed the trio by offering the following analogy regarding kids who have to wear uniforms in school.

“I think it’s not fair for fighters not to comply with the outfitting policy,” Fertitta said to the Boston-based publication. “It’s a very, very small minority of athletes that haven’t complied so far. It’s like when you went to school, you know? Some people get detention for being out of uniform. It’s not that hard. Tuck your shirt in.”

Currently, UFC fighters are earning between $2,500 and $40,000 per fight off of the sponsorship money they receive from the Reebok deal, most of which is determined by the amount of fights you have had inside the UFC’s Octagon, or any other past company that Zuffa, the parent-company of UFC, now owns. Among them are the defunct WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE promotions, just to name a few.

According to Fertitta, the UFC is paying out more than they are currently taking in from the Reebok outfitting deal.

“Heck yeah, man, when this thing grows and Reebok actually builds a sustainable business, fighters are going to get more money allocated to that,” said Fertitta.

“I think we’re going to look back in 10 years and look at some of these fights back from 2011, 2012, and go, ‘Wow, did the UFC really look like that?'”

lorenzo-fertitta

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently spoke with The Boston Herald about his growing frustration with the “very, very small minority” of fighters who aren’t complying with the new UFC/Reebok uniform and sponsorship policy.

As reported last week, UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos, as well as Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Nate Diaz violated the policy. With these three being the aforementioned “very, very small minority,” Fertitta addressed the trio by offering the following analogy regarding kids who have to wear uniforms in school.

“I think it’s not fair for fighters not to comply with the outfitting policy,” Fertitta said to the Boston-based publication. “It’s a very, very small minority of athletes that haven’t complied so far. It’s like when you went to school, you know? Some people get detention for being out of uniform. It’s not that hard. Tuck your shirt in.”

Currently, UFC fighters are earning between $2,500 and $40,000 per fight off of the sponsorship money they receive from the Reebok deal, most of which is determined by the amount of fights you have had inside the UFC’s Octagon, or any other past company that Zuffa, the parent-company of UFC, now owns. Among them are the defunct WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE promotions, just to name a few.

According to Fertitta, the UFC is paying out more than they are currently taking in from the Reebok outfitting deal.

“Heck yeah, man, when this thing grows and Reebok actually builds a sustainable business, fighters are going to get more money allocated to that,” said Fertitta.

“I think we’re going to look back in 10 years and look at some of these fights back from 2011, 2012, and go, ‘Wow, did the UFC really look like that?'”

Coach: Conor McGregor Could Challenge For Third UFC Title Within A Year

conor-mcgregor-ufc-194-5

It looks like Conor McGregor won’t be satisfied with just two UFC world titles if he manages to defeat Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 197 in March.

According to “The Notorious” Irishman’s coach, John Kavanagh, McGregor could potentially move all the way up to 170 pounds to challenge Robbie Lawler — or whoever else is champion at the time — for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Kavanagh told The42.ie the following:

“Conor has been cutting down to 145 pounds since he was 16. He’s now 27 so it will be nice to take a break from that weight-cut. We’ve done it plenty of times before and we’ll do it again. Funnily enough, the last weight-cut — for the Aldo fight — was probably the best one yet thanks to the help of George Lockhart, who’s on board again for this fight. He’s part of the team now. You’ve seen Conor on salads… now watch what he’s like on steak. And maybe the pursuit of belts won’t stop there either. I’ve said from the beginning that welterweight may not be out of the question. One of Conor’s main sparring partners, Gunnar Nelson, is a welterweight, so Conor is very used to that feel. I would not be at all surprised if we’re preparing to go for a third belt a year from now.”

conor-mcgregor-ufc-194-5

It looks like Conor McGregor won’t be satisfied with just two UFC world titles if he manages to defeat Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 197 in March.

According to “The Notorious” Irishman’s coach, John Kavanagh, McGregor could potentially move all the way up to 170 pounds to challenge Robbie Lawler — or whoever else is champion at the time — for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Kavanagh told The42.ie the following:

“Conor has been cutting down to 145 pounds since he was 16. He’s now 27 so it will be nice to take a break from that weight-cut. We’ve done it plenty of times before and we’ll do it again. Funnily enough, the last weight-cut â?? for the Aldo fight â?? was probably the best one yet thanks to the help of George Lockhart, who’s on board again for this fight. He’s part of the team now. You’ve seen Conor on salads… now watch what he’s like on steak. And maybe the pursuit of belts won’t stop there either. I’ve said from the beginning that welterweight may not be out of the question. One of Conor’s main sparring partners, Gunnar Nelson, is a welterweight, so Conor is very used to that feel. I would not be at all surprised if we’re preparing to go for a third belt a year from now.”