Getty Conor McGregor
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor and ex-155-pound king Rafael dos Anjos were supposed to fight years ago, and the latter wants to finally meet “Notorious” inside the Octagon.
McGregor and “RDA” were scheduled to compete at UFC 196 in 2016 when dos Anjos held the lightweight belt and McGregor was the current featherweight champion who was looking to become the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion.
However, RDA broke his foot a few weeks before the contest and Nate Diaz was slotted in as a replacement for McGregor. That would be the closest McGregor and RDA ever got to fighting, but dos Anjos hasn’t stopped trying to make the bout happen.
So, after he picked up a second-round submission win over Bryan Barberena at UFC Orlando on Saturday, dos Anjos once again called for a fight with the Irishman in July 2023.
“Look at my resume, I fought everybody,” dos Anjos said post-fight. “I need to fight somebody … I think I earned this fight. I will not ask UFC for extra crazy paydays, I just want to have that fight. And yeah, July works perfect for me. We’ll see what happens.”
RDA also confirmed that he wanted to fight McGregor at 170 pounds as opposed to lightweight.
RDA Hinted That He Thinks McGregor Has Been Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs
McGregor is currently out of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool, meaning he isn’t being subjected to random drug testing while he recovers from the leg break he suffered in July 2021 at UFC 264.
That, coupled with the Irishman’s jacked physique, has led to some accusing the Irishman of taking performance-enhancing drugs. And RDA appears to be someone who is also questioning if the Irishman has been taking banned substances.
“He’s out of USADA, why is he out of the pool?” dos Anjos questioned. “His body looks so different, but I’ll give him some time to get clear.”
McGregor hasn’t competed since suffering the gruesome leg injury mid-fight against Dustin Poirier. He recently tweeted that he’d be “clear” to resume testing under USADA in February, and that he would book a fight soon after. Typically fighters must be in the testing pool for six months before they’re allowed to compete; however, it’s unclear if McGregor will receive some sort of exemption from the promotion.
Dos Anjos Earned the Record for Most Octagon Time in UFC History
During his night’s work at UFC Orlando, dos Anjos surpassed fellow former 155-pound champion for most time spent fighting inside the Octagon. According to ESPN, dos Anjos has a total of 8:01:49 of UFC fight time.
“It’s hard work paying off,” dos Anjos said at the post-fight press conference when asked how for his thoughts on the record. “I never took the easy path, always picking the hard fights for me even if people ask, ‘Why did he take this fight?’ But, I’m a fighter. I like to fight and I like being challenged, especially when people say that I can’t do it — and I want to do it.
“Yeah, so happy to break the record.”