No stopping him
At the age of 33, and after a dominant win in Winnipeg, Rafael dos Anjos has, arguably, never looked better
WINNIPEG — Conventional wisdom would suggest that with age comes diminished physical ability, especially in a sport like MMA.
Rafael dos Anjos is throwing conventional wisdom out the door.
At 33 years of age, dos Anjos is by no means a dinosaur, but consider that he has been fighting in the UFC since UFC 91 back in 2008.
He became lightweight champion in 2015, only to lose the belt in his second title defence last year. Brutal weight cuts made it nonsensical for dos Anjos to compete at 155 anymore — as did back-to-back poor performances in the division, including a loss to the current lightweight interim champ Tony Ferguson — and while a move up to 170 looked like the right thing to do, a 15-pound jump was never going to be easy.
Success was not guaranteed. Not even close.
By all accounts then, dos Anjos has defied expectations. And after his third straight win in the division — with a dominant unanimous decision against former welterweight king Robbie Lawler on Saturday in Winnipeg being the latest — dos Anjos has, arguably, never looked better.
“I’m 33 years old and I feel that I’m getting mature,” dos Anjos said. “I feel in way better shape than I was when I was 25. I feel like I was getting so drained walking to 155 so I couldn’t perform at my best.”
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the Brazilian, who will likely be — and should be — in the conversation for Fighter of the Year in the UFC.
Dos Anjos vowed to get the belt back after losing it to Alvarez, although he probably never envisioned it would be the 170-pound strap he’d be shooting for.
“I’m just reinventing myself to become a better guy, a better fighter,” dos Anjos said. “I think this life is about motivation. I wasn’t motivated at lightweight. Now, I feel motivated in this new division.
“As long as I still believe I can still become a champion, I will keep fighting. As long as I believe I can still be the best, I’ll keep fighting. When I don’t believe I can be the best anymore, I will retire.”
Retirement will have to wait.
Dos Anjos has earned his chance to face the current champ Tyron Woodley, with UFC president Dana White saying that the winner of Saturday’s main event in Winnipeg would, indeed, get that opportunity.
With Woodley likely to have surgery to repair a partially torn labrum, that chance might be put on hold for a bit.
“I’m willing to wait,” dos Anjos said.
After fighting three times in 2017, dos Anjos said he’s due for a bit of a break. It’s well-deserved, of course. He was pretty beaten up after the fight, walking with a noticeable limp, although he reported just bumps and bruises.
Dos Anjos is in the shape of his life and, subsequently, he appears to also be in the form of his life.
He focus on Saturday was remarkable — a man possessed.
“It was a 25-minute war,” dos Anjos said. “I trained for it. I trained to have a dominant performance. I trained for it. I’m not surprised. I’m on my way to a second belt.”
The changes he’s made to his game, perhaps most notably joining forces with boxing guru Jason Parillo, has paid off in dividends.
“I put together a great team, good friends and good people, good coaches around me,” dos Anjos said. “That was a combination of everything … I played a lot in the clinch, too, so that helped me take out his gas. I think I put on a great show. I showed my skills everywhere. My boxing skills, my Muay Thai skills, my knees, my jiujitsu, my top game. That was a good performance.”
Who thought dos Anjos would stand on the pocket with knockout ace Lawler on Saturday?
“Part of my (game plan), my strategy, was to kill the legs so he wouldn’t be able to throw as hard as he usually does, not going to have the good footwork,” dos Anjos said. “The leg kicks were part of my strategy. I feel I was close to finishing him in the second round or the third. My hands were hurting because of his head, he’s got a pretty tough head. He’s a tough guy, former champion.”
Dos Anjos said he had to tell Woodley something faceto-face on Saturday, and he was able to in the post-fight coverage on FOX Sports 1.
“I told him that I’m not interested in his Gucci belt,” dos Anjos said. “I want that gold UFC belt. Gucci belt, I can buy one of those if I want. It’s not my taste. I want that gold belt.”
That’s about the extent of dos Anjos’ trash talk. It’s just not his style. As he pointed out on Saturday, he does his talking in the Octagon.
Those words were heard loud and clear in Winnipeg.
I feel in way better shape than I was when I was 25. I feel like I was getting so drained walking to 155 so I couldn’t perform at my best. UFC welterweight Rafael dos Anjos