Reborn as a welterweight, Rafael dos Anjos isn't necessarily looking to be the poster boy for the importance of fighting closer to your natural weight. Instead, the former UFC 155-pound champion is simply happy to enjoy the fringe benefits of his move 15 pounds north.
"I can enjoy eating now that I'm a welterweight," Dos Anjos said. "I can live. I can eat normal. I don't have to have that feeling after having my meal of still being hungry. Now, if I feel hungry, I can eat again if I want."
Dos Anjos (27-9), who could find himself on the doorstep of a welterweight title shot should he get past former champion Robbie Lawler (28-11) in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Winnipeg (8 p.m. ET, FOX), knows better than anyone just how dangerous dramatic weight cutting can be.
Before his 2014 victory over Benson Henderson, dos Anjos was forced to shed 23 pounds in just three days to make the lightweight limit. In July 2016, the day before losing his UFC title to Eddie Alvarez via first-round TKO, dos Anjos fainted while sitting in a hot tub trying to melt off the final pounds.
"Before, 70 to 80 percent of my camp was focused on losing weight and being stressed out about making weight," dos Anjos said. "Now, I still have to cut some weight, but it's way easier. I can have a normal life, I can enjoy my life and my training and put 100 percent of the work into my technique and training and not just losing weight and being stressed out. It's been a very good moment for me. I've been around for so long, but I've never been as happy as I am now."
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Rafael dos Anjos -125 | Robbie Lawler -105 | Welterweight |
Ricardo Lamas -285 | Josh Emmet +225 | Featherweight |
Santiago Ponzinibbio -205 | Mike Perry +165 | Welterweight |
Misha Cirkunov -175 | Glover Teixeira +145 | Light heavyweight |
Dos Anjos, 33, will face an equally recharged Lawler, who benefitted greatly from the full year he took off after losing his welterweight title to Tyron Woodley by first-round knockout in 2016. Lawler bounced back with a bang by outlasting Donald Cerrone in July over three action-packed rounds at UFC 214.
"It was a good fight to get me back in the mix. I went 15 minutes, which was nice," Lawler told the Los Angeles Times this week. "It was a measuring stick to see where I was and showed where I wanted to be.
"It's easy to let doubt get into your head. I know if I'm clicking on all cylinders and everything is right with me that I'm tough to beat."
With current champion Woodley expected to take time off for shoulder surgery, he could very well return in 2018 with the winner of Lawler-dos Anjos next in line for his belt.
"I was under the impression [a guaranteed title shot] was what was going on, but I don't ever know," Lawler said. "Rafael dos Anjos seemed to think the winner gets a title fight, so I assumed he's correct. I don't put much into that. I've got to get past him first, and then we can figure that out after the fact."
Prediction
At 33, the welterweight version of dos Anjos has looked about as dangerous as he ever has after posting an impressive decision win over Tarec Saffiedine in June and a dominant first-round submission of Neil Magny three months later. RDA is quick and explosive, with the gas tank to go deep now that his weight cut isn't so dramatic.
As far as what the fight will look like inside the cage, it will likely come down to dos Anjos' stamina against Lawler's power and aggression.
"I believe he's going to try to finish the fight quickly, but that won't happen," dos Anjos told the Brazilian site Combate. "I think that the longer this fight takes, the better it'll be for me. Since he tried to finish Cerrone quickly, I think he'll try the same with me. I'm going to do my thing, though, I'll walk forward, implement my game plan and won't get hasty. I know I have 25 minutes and he's a dangerous guy."
Lawler's takedown defense should play a big role in controlling the amount of success dos Anjos can have on the ground. Because of that, RDA will need to be fast and efficient on his feet, mixing in hard leg strikes to outwork Lawler over the distance.
"His pace slows down a little, but his power remains," dos Anjos said. "He's still powerful when he's tired, so I must pay double attention in order to not be taken by surprise. I'll clinch if I have to. I'll take him down if I have to. It's hard to do it against someone like him, but doing my strategy is the only way. I'll try to use my speed and my footwork to be able to land my shots."
Pick: Dos Anjos by unanimous decision.
