Five days ago, Rafael Dos Anjos received the news that his November 14 main event bout with Islam Makhachev was off, for the second time in as many months, due to medical reasons. In that moment, it was impossible for the former lightweight champion to not think that eight months of hard work had gone down the drain.
Dos Anjos made the decision to return to the lightweight division after his dropping his bout with Michael Chiesa in January. Since then, Dos Anjos has reinvented himself, altering his diet and lifestyle in order to successfully get back to where he was when he left the division.
But just as he was thinking that his return would be delayed, “The Irish Dragon” stepped up to the plate and Dos Anjos couldn’t have been more excited to find out that Paul Felder had accepted the five-round main event bout on five days’ notice.
“Paul Felder on five days’ notice is great; he comes to fight, and I think it’s a more exciting fight for everyone and we’re going to put on a show,” Dos Anjos told the media at UFC Vegas 14’s virtual media day. “He’s got great striking, he’s a very technical fighter, he comes to fight, and he’s got a big heart. We’re going to put on a great show for the fans, but I see at the end of the fight me having my hand raised. I’ve put in a lot of work and I can’t wait to show it on Saturday night.”
Part of Dos Anjos’ journey to UFC Vegas 14 came in September when he was forced out of his bout with Makhachev due to COVID-19. It was a disappointment for Dos Anjos, but he couldn’t help but be thankful that his symptoms weren’t too severe and that he was able to resume his lightweight comeback after a short break.
“I feel great. When I got COVID it didn’t affect my lungs. It was just headaches and a lot of body pain, but nothing to do with my lungs, which was good. Like 10 or 15 days after COVID I was training normal,” Dos Anjos said before touching on his journey back to lightweight. “Coming back to lightweight, so far, it’s been a very good cut. My body is responding really well. I started my cut and my dieting eight months ago. It’s been a long process and I’ve been putting in a lot of work through those months. I can’t wait for Saturday night.”
It’s been nearly four years since Dos Anjos fought at 155 pounds, and he is quick to admit that the division looks much different than it did when he moved up to welterweight. And with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vacating his throne, the possibilities are endless for the entire top five.
Dos Anjos believes that a win over Felder can thrust him right back into the picture, and when he gets his hand raised, he is going to remind the division’s best how to make a title run.
“There’s a lot of new guys and it’s been changing a lot. All the top five guys are very cautious to take the next step. It’s been a very strategic game, but back in the day everybody fought everybody. I believe we don’t have those kings,” Dos Anjos said. “I believe this day people are too cautious for the next step and nobody wants to take a fight because they want to wait for somebody else. It slows down the division a lot. Fighters got to fight, and you can’t just hide behind rankings and pick the best match or wait for results.”
The willingness to fight is one of the reasons that Dos Anjos respects Felder so much, and he’s proud that they were able to save the show.
Dos Anjos also isn’t blind to the fact that Felder’s ranking is higher than that of Makhachev’s, and that a win over the battle-hardened Philadelphia native could result in him making a bigger splash on the division than he anticipated.
“I want to fight for the belt; whoever has the belt I will fight. Khabib leaving the division will leave the division wide open. My focus is 100% on Paul Felder on Saturday. But being back in the win column, you look at the top five guys. If you look at Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, they were all interim champions. The only two guys who were former champions were me and Conor, and with Khabib leaving the division, it could make us a good fight for the vacant belt.
“I’m trying to reinvent myself and prove that I can be lightweight champion again.”
