Rafael dos Anjos is confident that he can get the best of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder Tyron Woodley.
A former champion himself, dos Anjos knows what it takes to compete at an elite level. When he did hold UFC gold, it was in the lightweight division. He is now a welterweight and he’ll take on Neil Magny at UFC 215 on Sept. 9.
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, dos Anjos talked about the state of the 170-pound division:
“Now, as an ex-champ, I think the path is shorter. Demian (Maia) just had his shot at the belt and couldn’t get it. Tyron Woodley defended it. (Donald) Cerrone’s fight with (ex-champ) Robbie Lawler – I thought Cerrone won, but it was tough. In my opinion, Lawler wasn’t convincing, so I think that fight removed him from a possible title rematch. (Jorge) Masvidal lost to Demian.”
He went on to talk about what to expect if he goes one-on-one with “The Chosen One.”
“I’ll push the pace and he’ll have to go to work. I won’t let him circle around – he’ll take me down, I’ll take him down, the fight will be a scramble. I’ll push his pace. And I think that’s when I’ll get the better of him.”
