Getty UFC superstar Conor McGregor
Fans could see a clash between Conor McGregor and a different foe at UFC 264 should Dustin Poirier pull out of the fight.
According to a recent report from Combate’s Evy Rodrigues, as well as MMA Junkie, former UFC 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos is currently in Las Vegas cutting weight to serve as a backup in case either McGregor or Poirier can’t make it to the Octagon on July 10, 2021.
“Former UFC Lightweight champion @RdosAnjosMMA is in Vegas with his team,” Rodrigues wrote. “He is currently cutting weight to be an alternate in case something happens with the UFC 264’s main fight.
GettyRafael dos Anjos (L) punches Nate Diaz in their bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the at U.S. Airways Center on December 13, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Interestingly, McGregor has been linked to “RDA” before, having been scheduled to fight the Brazilian for his lightweight championship when “Notorious” was the featherweight champion in 2016. The UFC 196 fight fell through after dos Anjos suffered an injury and he was replaced by Nate Diaz.
Dos Anjos is currently ranked No. 7 in the division and is coming off a win over Paul Felder, returning to the 155-pound division after an eight-fight stint at welterweight. After defeating Felder in November 2020, RDA called out Notorious, with McGregor accepting. However, the fight once again never came to fruition and the Irishman went on to fight Poirier.
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McGregor Reacted to the News of RDA Acting as Backup, RDA Responded
Notorious seems to have no issue to dos Anjos serving as the backup.
“Put dos anjos in at the same time,” McGregor tweeted, reacting to the news early Thursday morning.
Put dos anjos in at the same time.
Hours later, RDA responded to McGregor, noting the time Notorious published the tweet. “Alcoholic hallucinosis from drinking cheap whiskey until 3:39am,” RDA wrote.
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UFC 264 Fight Card
UFC 264 is set to take place on July 10, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in front of a sold-out live crowd. Poirier vs. McGregor 3 will serve at the main event of the night, with an important top-five welterweight clash placed in the co-main slot. No. 2-ranked 170-pounder Gilbert Burns will look to bounce back after his failed title bid against Kamaru Usman in February by taking on No. 4 Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
See the full fight card below:
Main Card via ESPN+ PPV
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy
Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho
Preliminary Card via ESPN and ESPN+
Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin
Niko Price vs. Michel Pereira
Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria
Trevin Giles vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Early Preliminary Card on ESPN+
Jennifer Maia vs. Jessica Eye
Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares
Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jerome Rivera
Hu Yaozong vs. Alen Amedovski
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