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‘My Plan Was to Beat His Brother’ – Rafael Dos Anjos Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Was Sleeping Against Him

Published 12/03/2020, 11:16 PM EST

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A few days back, Rafael dos Anjos put on one of the most complete performances of his career to secure a win against Paul Felder. This was ‘RDA’s comeback to his ex-prime division- lightweight. The former champion stood true to his fans’ expectations and is eyeing bigger challenges.

In a recent Instagram post, RDA is seen mocking Khabib Nurmagomedov for his recent remarks on Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

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‘RDA’ shared a snippet of his 2014 fight against the current lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. He admitted that Khabib beat him fair and square, but claimed that no one got closer to the current champion, the way he got.

Dos Anjos wrote, “Khabib said he is not interested in fighting Conor or Dustin as he choked both of them. He did not choke me. As a matter of fact I got him snoring until a slipping rib saved him from. He beat me fair and square, but no one got closer to putting the Champ out. My plan was to beat his brother and go after that neck again. That plan felt apart for reasons beyond my control, but I will keep sharping my tools just in case he decides to come back and chooses me.” 

READ – ‘I Choked Them Both’- Khabib Nurmagomedov Compares Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier to Donkeys

‘RDA’ was initially scheduled to face Islam Makhachev instead of Paul Felder, but an injury forced the Russian out of the contest. Right after his win over Felder, ‘RDA’ climbed to number 6 in the official UFC lightweight rankings. He still has cosmic plans to compete with the Dagestani in a rematch and square off their head-to-head tally.

Rafael dos Anjos to re-book his battle with Islam Makhachev?

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Islam Makhachev pulled out of his scheduled bout with ‘RDA’ just 5 days prior to the event. Dos Anjos remained on the card and fought ‘The Irish Dragon’ for five rounds. Post the fight, Makhachev tweeted, “Great fight @RdosAnjosMMA congrats!  Let’s finish our business in nearest future.”

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The lightweight prodigy has shown keen interest in settling his fight with RDA, but since the former champion has escalated up in the rankings, he may have another opponent in mind.

Would you like to see ‘RDA’ fight Makhachev or a higher-ranked opponent? Has Dos Anjos finally found his long-lost form at lightweight?

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Written by:

Prathamesh Singh Chauhan

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Prathamesh Singh Chauhan is a Boxing Author at EssentiallySports. He is a graduate from the International Institute of Sports Management who combines his love for sports, particularly combat sports, and his flair for writing and analysis to help him in his day-to-day work. He has prior professional experience with sporting organizations such as Star Sports, Khelo India, and NBA.
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