Why Did Rafael Dos Anjos Not Fight Conor McGregor? Know About the Injury That Forced the UFC Star to Withdraw From His Biggest Fight

Rafael Dos Anjos is up against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 next. But perhaps the one fight that shall haunt him is the one that he could never make. That’s right, Dos Anjos was meant to go up against none other than Conor McGregor back at UFC 196. A match that would’ve been a champion vs champion fight unfortunately never took place.

In 2016, a title bout between ‘The Notorious’ and Dos Anjos was arranged for a battle that had thousands of fans on the edge. Unfortunately, the champion would pull out of his fight and since then, he’s never been able to face the Irishman who has risen to great fame in the last 5-6 years. But RDA hasn’t given up hope on facing the Notorious one day/

Rafael Dos Anjos still looking to take down ‘The Notorious’

Rafael Dos Anjos was going to defend his title against Conor McGregor in 2016. However, the bout could never be as Dos Anjos had to pull out due to a severe injury. Of course, that did not happen. A foot injury came in the way and thwarted the whole thing. Ariel Helwani was among the first few to report it to the MMA world. “According to multiple sources, dos Anjos suffered a broken foot late last week, forcing him to pull out of the lightweight title fight against McGregor,” he reported.

Regardless, McGregor would go on to become a double division champion either way. On the other hand, Dos Anjos would lose his title Eddie Alvarez in the same year in the month of July. Even though many expected him to take the win, he got knocked out in the very first round. Alvarez would go on and face McGregor instead of Dos Anjos and lose to an emphatic knockout from McGregor.

Now, years after the cancelled bout, Rafael Dos Anjos still has a desire to keep going. Meanwhile, McGregor has been away from the cage since 2021 and is supposed to come back against Michael Chandler. Will the fight ever end up happening?

Rafael Dos Anjos still wants to fight Conor McGregor

Rafael Dos Anjos still wants the McGregor fight because it’s something of a legacy fight for him. And why wouldn’t it be? Beating the Irishman would be a thing of pride and just fighting him would bring in a lot of eyes. Anjos told MMA Fighting that he’d want that fight because he’s earned it.

Also Read: Conor McGregor Draws Parallel With Dana White’s Inspiring Message on His Old Self

He asked everyone to look at his resume, the way he’s fought many fighters of a great magnitude. When McGregor had USADA troubles, Dos Anjos was confused. He said he’d give the Irishman some time to get his body into shape.

However, his next opponent is still Michael Chandler and even that fight is nowhere in sight. Will either of the three ever fight one another? It all looks dark for now.

Also Read: Conor McGregor’s Accusations Reeks of Ungratefulness Towards Dana White & Co. As Irishman Blames UFC for a Lack of Fights