Rafael Dos Anjos is BACK…
He’s gonna have his first bout back in the ring on June 17…
It’ll be in Singapore, On UFC Fight Night 111, against the former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine…
Here’s what he had to say about his upcoming fight, his opponent, Michael Bisping, etc…
“I think Tarec Saffiedine is a great opponent for my first fight at welterweight,” dos Anjos told MMA Fighting. “That’s exactly what I wanted, a top-10 (ranked fighter). I’m a former lightweight champion and I believe I deserved to fight someone ranked, and Tarec is also a former world champion, a former Strikeforce champion. It’s going to be a great fight.”
“There’s no easy path (to win this fight), especially at the highest level, but I will use all my game,” dos Anjos said. “I think that something I haven’t used much in my fights is my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu, but I’m a complete fighter. But I will trade with him, and if he gives me opportunities there, I will use my game. I’ll walk forward the entire time, like I always do. I think I’ll be stronger in this division, won’t suffer with that violent weight cut. I think I will perform better in this weight class.”
“I don’t think I’ll have any problem,” dos Anjos said. “They are stronger, but I will be stronger, too. They are taller than me, but even at lightweight some athletes were taller than me. But I fight well against tall guys.
“I didn’t leave my division to go after easier fights. I left the division because I had already reached the top, became champion, and health is the top priority. Some fighters leave their divisions or cut down in weight to go after easier fights, but I left the division for my health because my body reached its limit.”
“I have been sparring with bigger guys, trained a few times with Michael Bisping and the guys Bisping takes to the gym,” dos Anjos said. “Eduardo Pamplona is my Muay Thai coach now, a good friend and also one of the guys that helped me when I moved to the United States. He cornered me in my first two or three fights and then moved to Mexico, but he’s back now and will be in my corner in this fight. He used to fight at 185 and 170, and he’s tough. He’s helping me with my Muay Thai, and I’m trying to train with bigger guys now.”
“I believe that a win would put me in the top 10,” dos Anjos said. “When you fight the champion and win, you become the champion. If you beat the No. 10 (ranked fighter), you become the No. 10. I think (the win) puts me in this mix, and that’s my goal.”
“No rush, but my goal is the welterweight belt,” he continued. “I think I have what it takes to get there. But I’ll do at welterweight what I did at lightweight, no rush. I’ll slowly get there. I have the qualities to get there. But a win over Tarec Saffiedine will definitely put me in this mix.”
“My first goal was to fight in Rio, and I even campaigned for this on social media, but it’s a big card with big names and everybody wants to be there,” dos Anjos said. “I also have a big market in Singapore and the UFC knows that. It’s a business. Every time I’m in Asia, I train at Evolve. I’ve done training camps there before; I’ve gone to Evolve for seven years now.
“Evolve is my home in Asia and I have great friends there. I wanted to fight in Rio, but I’m happy that I’m fighting in Singapore. I love Singapore, I love team Evolve, and I have great training there. It will be great to be back in Singapore. I will have other opportunities to fight in Rio.”