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Rafael Dos Anjos, who is scheduled to make his second title defense against Eddie Alvarez in a UFC FIGHT PASS exclusive card on July 7, is almost fully healed from a foot injury and is busy planning camp for his return.
In an interview with UFC.com, the Brazilian talked about Conor McGregor and warned: “I miss submitting people.”
Go inside the matchup: Rafael Dos Anjos profile | Eddie Alvarez profile | July 7 event page
“The doctor has cleared me to walk with sneakers two weeks ago, and a few days he said I was good to go with bare feet,” said Dos Anjos, who will return to action against Alvarez in the main event of the UFC FIGHT PASS event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "I’m already back at work, the bone is almost healed, but some tendons are still sore. I’ve been doing some grappling, not with full-power, but I can’t stand being away”, said Dos Anjos to UFC Brazil.
Always patient and respectful towards his opponents, Dos Anjos noticed that Alvarez is a fighter who is always moving forward, but he guaranteed that won’t be a problem for him.
“I remember watching his three fights, he spent three rounds all over Pettis. I believe he’ll try something similar with me,” Dos Anjos said. "But I believe I’m more well-rounded. My grappling is better, I’m taller and this is my momentum, I’m very motivated. All of these will help me get this win."
A jiu-jitsu black-belt who was for a long time considered only a grappler, Dos Anjos’ last submission win was in 2012, when he caught Kamal Shalorus with a rear-naked choke in the first round. But he’s willing to end this streak in his next fight.
“I miss submitting people, I have a lot of confidence in my jiu-jitsu”, the champion said. “I believe he will try to put me down, so we’ll see what happens on the ground. I’ve been putting a lot of work on my grappling, and I believe I can submit him.”
The fight of his life?
Dos Anjos was scheduled to fight “The Notorious” Conor McGregor at UFC 196 in March when the foot injury forced him to withdraw. The Brazilian admitted he has endured a lot of criticism for the late withdrawal, but he guaranteed the negative comments didn’t get to him.
“A lot of people asked me if I was upset because I missed earning a lot of money. I answer that, indeed I was sad, but not because of the money,” he explained. "I was upsed because I didn’t fight. I have 32 fights on my record and this was the first time I cancelled because of an injury. But I’m cool, because I know the McGregor fight will eventually happen.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this story referred to his foot injury as a "sore foot” and the article has been amended.
