Rafael dos Anjos News

Tom Taylor - August 16, 2018

Earlier this month, surging UFC welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio called for a fight with recent interim welterweight title challenger Rafael dos Anjos. It was his hope, he said, that he could battle dos Anjos in the main event of the UFC’s upcoming debut in his native Argentina. Dos Anjos, however, wasn’t interested in flying down to Argentina to fight Ponzinibbio on his home turf, which resulted in a heated social media skirmish between the two. Ultimately, Ponzinibbio even accused dos Anjos of ducking him.

Tom Taylor - August 12, 2018

In a recent interview with Combate, surging Argentine welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio called for a fight with former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. It’s his hope that he and dos Anjos can fight in the main event of the UFC’s November 17 debut in Argentina. “Want to fight in November? Fight me,” Santiago Ponzinibbio said of dos Anjos. “November 17, in South America, let’s do the main fight. Stop being loose and [not] fighting. You have to fight. I do not understand why he’s running out of the fight, being able to put on a big show in South America, near his country. Let’s make a historic event, the first time [the UFC comes to Argentina], a very good opportunity. I do not understand what happens to him. [It’s a] good fight, I can not understand. The guy is running from the fight and I do not know why.”

Tom Taylor - July 23, 2018

On Sunday evening, in the headlining bout of UFC Hamburg, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua returned to the cage opposite Anthony Smith, a fresh new light heavyweight contender who stepped in to replace Volkan Oezdemir on short notice. Unfortunately, this fight did not go as planned for the MMA legend Shogun, as he was promptly knocked unconscious by a vicious volley of strikes from his opponent. In the wake of this knockout loss, Shogun has implied that he’s not done fighting yet — that “life continues,” even after setbacks of this kind. 

Chris Taylor - June 23, 2018

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will likely be the next man to square off with surging welterweight contender Kamaru Usman. BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor reported that news earlier today.

Drake Riggs - June 10, 2018

Last night a new champion was crowned. That champion was none other than the outspoken American Top Team product, Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington.

Chris Taylor - June 9, 2018

Colby Covington and Rafael dos Anjos squared off for the promotions interim welterweight title in the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC 225 event in Chicago. Colby Covington entered tonight’s championship bout on a five-fight win streak, his latest being a lopsided decision win over Demian Maia.

Tom Taylor - June 3, 2018

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC Liverpool, Darren Till picked up the biggest win of his career thus far, scoring a close decision victory over two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Regrettably, Till’s win was shadowed in controversy, as he missed weight for the bout, tipping the scales three and a half pounds over the 171-pound limit for non-title welterweight fights. In the opinion of Rafael dos Anjos, who will battle Colby Covington for the UFC interim welterweight title in the co-main event of UFC 225, Till’s struggles with the scale will probably eventually force him up to the 185-pound welterweight division. The recent  behind-the-scenes footage of Till’s weight-cut was all the proof dos Anjos needed to this end.

Tom Taylor - June 1, 2018

Colby Covington, who battles Rafael dos Anjos for the interim welterweight title at UFC 225 this June 9, is perhaps the most polarizing fighter in mixed martial arts today. The American welterweight has unleashed a stream of incendiary trash talk over the last few months, but apparently, it’s not bothering his opponent dos Anjos. “I grew up in Brazil in the favelas, man. Bullies, trash talking, doesn’t work with me,” dos Anjos said during the UFC 225 media conference call on Thursday (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “But I think Colby, he’s just trying [to be Conor McGregor]. Conor does it well. Conor, he’s a rich man, he makes a lot of money.”

Tom Taylor - April 4, 2018

Weeks after our initial report that Colby Covington and Rafael dos Anjos will battle for interim welterweight gold at UFC 224, the bout is now official. One of the most interesting details of this contest is that it will occur in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Covington, of course, is public enemy number-one in the country, having referred to it as “a dump” and its people as “filthy animals” after his autumn defeat of Demian Maia.

Tom Taylor - April 3, 2018

Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington’s UFC 224 interim welterweight title fight, which was first reported by BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor, is now a done deal. The bout is expected to be announced by the UFC any minute now, while both fighters will participate in a press conference in Brooklyn, NY this Friday.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2018

Though the UFC hasn’t made it official just yet, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is expected to battle Colby Covington for interim welterweight gold at UFC 224 this May 12. Speaking during a recent Instagram live video session, the division’s undisputed champ Tyron Woodley questioned dos Anjos’ choice to accept this fight. In his eyes, dos Anjos would have been wiser to hold out for a shot at the true welterweight title.

Tom Taylor - March 22, 2018

UFC 224, which goes down on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has looked like it could be a very big card from the moment it was announced. According to BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor, who has spoken with multiple sources close to the situation, the card is about to get a whole lot bigger, as the UFC is working on a UFC 224 interim welterweight title fight between top contenders Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington.

Justin Golightly - February 9, 2018

Rafael dos Anjos and Tyron Woodley have gone back and forth since Nate Diaz strutted back into fight talks with his signature scowling face. It’s easy to see why, of course. Dos Anjos wants the title shot promised to him, while Tyron Woodley ‘just wants to make money’ according to the former UFC lightweight champion. …But isn’t that what prize fighting is about? Not to dos Anjos it is not. To be fair, Tyron Woodley was willing to fight Diaz at a catchweight with no title on the line, but dos Anjos thinks either that that this match-up is against all logic. “Tyron Woodley is only thinking about money. Of course that everybody wants to make money and needs money, but he’s running away from logic. He’s trying to force his hand and making a fight that makes no sense. [Nate Diaz] can’t fight in this weight class and Woodley is trying to force this fight. He was willing to fight Nate Diaz while injured, needing to undergo surgery, because he knows it’s an easy fight and he can win without one arm. I think it’s wrong to hold the entire division like this. He’s trying to get an easy fight and stay on his TV and radio shows as a champion, he wants this status.”

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2018

Last night, UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley divulged to ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto that he believes his next fight will be against Nate Diaz. “I think that fight will happen,” he said. “I think it will happen this year. I think it’s way more likely than people realize. There are conversations about Nate and I fighting in July. The UFC has offered Nate that fight. They just have to make it worth his while.”

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2018

Yesterday afternoon, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley once again expressed interest in a showdown with long-time lightweight contender Nate Diaz. “I think that fight will happen,” Woodley told ESPN. “I think it will happen this year. I think it’s way more likely than people realize. There are conversations about Nate and I fighting in July. The UFC has offered Nate that fight. They just have to make it worth his while.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2018

When he defeated Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision back in December, Rafael dos Anjos established himself as one of the top contenders in the stacked UFC welterweight division – perhaps the top contender outright. Since then, the Brazilian star has been angling for a title shot opposite reigning welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Woodley, meanwhile, has expressed interest in a number of other high-profile fighters, such as Georges St-Pierre and Conor McGregor, and simultaneously dismissed dos Anjos. Yet this doesn’t seem to have discouraged dos Anjos.

Justin Golightly - January 3, 2018

Tyron Woodley is out recovering for his shoulder surgery, meanwhile the welterweights are all pacing back and forth to see who gets the next shot. Dana White went on record saying that the winner of Rafael dos Anjos and Robbie Lawler’s fight would get to fight Woodley for a title, after dos Anjos dominated the fight, it seemed like the next logical option. He still is campaigning for the shot while Tyron Woodley has other plans than the former lightweight champ and his boss: Georges St-Pierre, then dos Anjos. “I don’t see nobody ahead of me that deserve a next title shot, I’m former lightweight champion and I’ve been on the UFC for almost 10 years. 2017 was a great year and I’m looking forward for 2018.” — Rafael dos Anjos on Instagram.

Tom Taylor - December 19, 2017

Last Saturday night, the UFC touched down in snowy Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with UFC on Fox 26. In the card’s exciting main event, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos asserted himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders, defeating former titleholder Robbie Lawler with a dominant, unanimous decision win. Shortly after this breakthrough win, dos Anjos received a callout from fellow welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, who called him out for a title eliminator bout to establish a true number-one-contender.