Tag: RDA

Rafael dos Anjos calls for a veteran matchup against ‘Jim Miller, Jorge Masvidal or… Tony Ferguson’

Rafael dos AnjosFormer UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos is done with chasing the title, and now wants to put on some fan-friendly bouts against fellow veterans of the sport. ‘RDA’ faced off with rising contender Rafael Fiziev in the main event of a UFC Fight Night bout earlier this year, where he was brutally knocked out […]

Rafael dos Anjos

Former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos is done with chasing the title, and now wants to put on some fan-friendly bouts against fellow veterans of the sport.

‘RDA’ faced off with rising contender Rafael Fiziev in the main event of a UFC Fight Night bout earlier this year, where he was brutally knocked out in the final round. The result of this fight has seemingly convinced the former 155lb title holder that his days at the very top of the division are done.

In a recent post to his Twitter account, Rafael dos Anjos stated that he now wishes to face off against the likes of Jim Miller or Jorge Masvidal, or even rematch Tony Ferguson or Clay Guida, rather than make another run at the No.1 spot of the 155lb division.

He stated: “I had my last title run…and now it is time to fight people that motivates me to wake up and train. I have almost eight hours of octagon time…get me a veteran for a change!I would love to fight guys like Jim Miller, Jorge Masvidal or get my rematch with Tony Ferguson or Guida.”

How likely is Rafael dos Anjos to get one of the four names he has mentioned?

Of the four names dos Anjos has stated he is interested in, two are already currently matched up with opponents.

Tony Ferguson is set to face off against Li Jingliang in the next PPV event, UFC 279. ‘El Cucuy‘ defeated RDA back in 2016, picking up a unanimous decision victory. However, the time since has not been overly kind to Ferguson, who is now riding a four-fight losing streak. He has recently made the move to Jackson Wink MMA Academy, in hopes of revitalizing his career. Should he defeat ‘The Leech’ next month, a rematch with Rafael dos Anjos makes a lot of sense.

Clay Guida is also booked up. ‘The Carpenter’ is set to take on Scott Holtzman at the end of the year, with news of the fight only dropping recently. There is still plenty of time until this fight takes place, and should Holtzman drop out, RDA could easily step in to face the 37-22 UFC veteran.

Jorge Masvidal is not currently booked, but he does still have some issues preventing him from entering the UFC octagon. ‘Gamebred’ is currently dealing with a court case brought on by an alleged assault on bitter rival Colby Covington. The incident reportedly took place shortly after their main event clash at UFC 272. Masvidal has stated that he may be looking at a return to the UFC in early 2023.

Jim Miller is the only fighter who appears to be in the perfect position to take a fight with RDA. ‘A-10’ is riding a three-fight winning streak, having defeated Erick Gonzalez, Nikolas Motta and Donald Cerrone. Jim Miller vs. Rafael dos Anjos is a fight that would make plenty of sense and could easily take a featured prelim spot on a major PPV card.

Who would you like to see Rafael dos Anjos fight next?

Rafael Fiziev Aiming for Justin Gaethje Fight After UFC Vegas 58 Victory Over RDA

Rafael Fiziev has cemented his name amongst the lightweight elite with his finish over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58, and he’s now setting his eyes on a Justin Gaethje fight. There were a lot of questions regarding how the grappling defense of ‘Ataman’ would stand up against RDA’s relentless grappling, but for the […]

Rafael Fiziev has cemented his name amongst the lightweight elite with his finish over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58, and he’s now setting his eyes on a Justin Gaethje fight.

There were a lot of questions regarding how the grappling defense of ‘Ataman’ would stand up against RDA’s relentless grappling, but for the most part: Fiziev answered them all. Defending 14 of 16 total takedown attempts by Dos Anjos, and limiting him to just a poor 12% takedown accuracy.

The striking was very close, but at the end of the day, the scorecards would never matter. As Fiziev would land a bullet of a left-hook that would seal the KO/TKO victory for him in the fifth round.

At the post-fight press conference, Fiziev opened up about his UFC future. Discussing the fight, the finish, and what would be next for him now after such an impressive performance over a UFC legend such as Rafael Dos Anjos.

Rafael Fiziev Calls Out Justin Gaethje After RDA Knockout at UFC Vegas 58

“I want a fight with Gaethje,” Fiziev began (transcribed by MMA Weekly). “We need to know who is the best for you and for me. If you’re ready, if you’re no scared, if you don’t take s**t, let’s go.”

“He’s dangerous,” Rafael Fiziev continued. “He’s also a big challenge for me. He has a lot of chance for knocking me out, and I have a lot of chance for knocking him out. That’s a good fight, I think, for fans also.”

Justin Gaethje is 3-2 in his last five, currently coming off of a round one submission loss to the current lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira. At the moment, the Gaethje camp has stayed silent on the Fiziev call out. It’s not clear whether or not this is a fight that will appeal to ‘The Highlight’, but it undoubtedly would be an exciting battle.

Who do you want to see Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev fight next?

Rafael dos Anjos Trades Barbs With ‘Khabib Wannabe’ Islam Makhachev

Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev are back at it once again, throwing insults back and forth.

dos Anjos and Makhachev have been on the docket to fight each other on multiple occasions, with the fight falling through each time for various reasons…

Rafael dos Anjos Islam Makhachev

Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev are back at it once again, throwing insults back and forth.

dos Anjos and Makhachev have been on the docket to fight each other on multiple occasions, with the fight falling through each time for various reasons. This has led to a beef between the two that has ebbed and flowed throughout the years, never ceasing to entertain.

The most recent of these interactions came when dos Anjos posted a clip of an altercation between he and Conor McGregor to Twitter, captioning it by saying that the Irishman was lucky that guards were between them. Makhachev chimed in by noting that there were no guards stopping RDA during that altercation.

“Let’s meet without security to break up the fight. See you in 2022,” dos Anjos wrote, directing his message to McGregor.

“There was no security around you man ?” Makhachev quipped.

This led to a fiery response from dos Anjos, who brought up the fact that Islam Makhachev has not faced any former champions and saying that he only has hype because of his close relationship with former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In response, the Dagestani made the point that he was booked to fight RDA, but the Brazilian withdrew.

“How many champions have you fought? How many main events? You only getting the hype because of your brother, Get my name out of your dirty mouth Khabib wanna be,” dos Anjos said.

“Never fought champion, because you keep pulling out, unfortunately,” said Makhachev in response.

Finally, dos Anjos stated that Makhachev is lucky to not be facing him and that he must be his manager, Ali Abdelaziz’s favorite fighter. However, Makhachev countered this by somewhat sarcastically saying that this honor clearly belongs to Justin Gaethje, who appears to be getting the title shot over him while he instead faces Beneil Dariush.

“Btw you’re lucky because you’re yours manager’s favorite,” dos Anjos tweeted.

“Wrong, Justin is favorite , he’s fighting for title ???,” responded Makhachev.

This was an entertaining back-and-forth between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev. While it is unclear if they will ever end up actually fighting, it is always entertaining to see them trading barbs online.

Continue Reading Rafael dos Anjos Trades Barbs With ‘Khabib Wannabe’ Islam Makhachev at MMA News.

Top Welterweight: If ‘RDA’ Doesn’t Want To Fight, Give Me Tyron Woodley

Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking for a big fight for his Octagon return. And rightfully so. The Argentinian is on a seven-fight win streak with four wins coming by way of knockout. In his last outing, Ponzinibbio rendered Neil Magny unconscious with his punching power. Now, he has his eyes focused on the welterweight division’s elite. […]

The post Top Welterweight: If ‘RDA’ Doesn’t Want To Fight, Give Me Tyron Woodley appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking for a big fight for his Octagon return.

And rightfully so. The Argentinian is on a seven-fight win streak with four wins coming by way of knockout. In his last outing, Ponzinibbio rendered Neil Magny unconscious with his punching power. Now, he has his eyes focused on the welterweight division’s elite.

For the past several months, Ponzinibbio has been calling out former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Unfortunately, those challenges seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Ponzinibbio has a new name on his tongue. It’s former 170-pound king Tyron Woodley:

“The reality is, dos Anjos said in the media that he wanted this fight, but he doesn’t,” Ponzinibbis said. “He doesn’t want this fight. He never asked for it in the U.S., never made any noise to make it happen. He asked for it in Brazil so he wouldn’t look like a p****, but the truth is he doesn’t want to fight me.

“I need to fight, man. This is one of the best moments of my career, I’m ready to become world champion and I don’t want to stay inactive. Since dos Anjos really doesn’t want to fight me, I think Tyron Woodley is a great fight. I’ve showed time and time again I’m ready to become champion.”

This fight makes perfect sense for both men at this point in their careers. Ponzinibbio is looking to get a big win that will undoubtably name him the next contender for the 170-pound strap. Who better than the recently dethroned welterweight king? As for Woodley, he would like to get a rematch with Kamaru Usman for the title.

Usman will likely be facing Colby Covington in his next outing, but a win over a rising contender in Ponzinibbio should all but guarantee Woodley a second run at “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

The post Top Welterweight: If ‘RDA’ Doesn’t Want To Fight, Give Me Tyron Woodley appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

‘RDA’ Would Drop Back To Lightweight For Conor McGregor Fight

At this point in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos won’t drop back down to the 155-pound division for just any ordinary fight. He wants a fight that will be worth his while. Speaking to Helen Ye…

At this point in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos won’t drop back down to the 155-pound division for just any ordinary fight. He wants a fight that will be worth his while. Speaking to Helen Yee recently, “RDA” said that a fight against someone like UFC mega-star […]

The post ‘RDA’ Would Drop Back To Lightweight For Conor McGregor Fight appeared first on MMA News.

Rafael Dos Anjos Offers Statement On Lopsided TUF 28 Loss

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos offers a statement on his lopsided defeat to Kamaru Usman at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.

The post Rafael Dos Anjos Offers Statement On Lopsided TUF 28 Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Over the weekend (Fri. November 30, 2018) Rafael dos Anjos suffered another loss inside the Octagon.

Rising welterweight Kamaru Usman bested “RDA” inside thePearl Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pair main evented The Ultimate Fighter Season 28 Finale inside the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the Brazilian’s second consecutive loss inside the Octagon. He previously lost to Colby Covington back at UFC 225 in June.

Now, the former UFC lightweight champ has a long way to go if he wants to get a crack at the 170-pound belt. His last win came in December of 2017 when he defeated Robbie Lawler via lopsided decision. However, Usman’s grappling ability proved to be too much for dos Anjos to handle in Las Vegas.

He recently took to Instagram and offered a statement regarding his loss. Check it out here:

“It has been 15 years fighting MMA, 10 years of UFC, 39 fights, being the first Brazilian champion in lightweight. A lot of stories to tell, several fights in my career, several scars that I carry on my body.

“The fighter life is just the same. One day you win and another day you lose, but even in defeat I am grateful for my team, coaches, family, friends, fans, sponsors and God for the opportunity to use my gifts and live from what I love the most.

“I will always react with strength and dignity, even when things do not go my way, I will trust in the Lord who is in control of everything, I will turn around and I will come back stronger.

“Nothing like getting home and realizing how blessed I am with a beautiful family. Thank you everyone.”

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It has been 15 years fighting MMA, 10 years of UFC, 39 fights, being the first Brazilian champion in lightweight. A lot of stories to tell, several fights in my career, several scars that I carry on my body. The fighter life is just the same. One day you win and another day you lose, but even in defeat I am grateful for my team, coaches, family, friends, fans, sponsors and God for the opportunity to use my gifts and live from what I love the most. I will always react with strength and dignity, even when things do not go my way, I will trust in the Lord who is in control of everything, I will turn around and I will come back stronger. ??Nothing like getting home and realizing how blessed I am with a beautiful family???? THANK YOU EVERYONE ??????||<><><>|| São 15 anos lutando MMA, 10 anos de UFC, 39 lutas, sendo o primeiro campeão brasileiro no peso leve. Muita história pra contar, várias brigas na carreira, diversas marcas que carrego na carcassa. Vida de lutador é assim mesmo. Um dia ganha no outro perde, mas mesmo na derrota sou grato pela minha equipe, treinadores, família, amigos, fãs, patrocinadores e à Deus pela oportunidade de usar meus dons e viver daquilo que mais amo fazer. Sempre reagirei com força e dignidade, mesmo quando as coisas não sairem do meu jeito, confiarei no Senhor que está no controle de tudo, darei a volta por cima e voltarei fortalecido. ??Nada como chegar em casa e perceber como sou abençoado com uma família linda???? MUITO OBRIGADO A TODOS ?????? #JesusFirst #TeamRDA #RafaelDosAnjos #DosAnjosPhotography #DosAnjosInc #EvolveMMA<> #RDA #Respect #Discipline #Attitude #rvcasport #aguaboaoficial #ufc

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Dos Anjos struggled to cut weight at 155 pounds, and seems to be a bit too small for the top fighters at welterweight. Perhaps a potential 165-pound division would better suit “RDA” if the UFC decides to go that direction.

The post Rafael Dos Anjos Offers Statement On Lopsided TUF 28 Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.