Rafael dos Anjos won’t be fighting Santiago Ponzinibbio on Nov. 17. RDA explains why.
After failing to capture the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title back in June against Colby Covington, dos Anjos is hoping to rebound. Many are pointing to the Nov. 17 date as the UFC will make its debut in Argentina. Ponzinibbio is Argentine and it’s easy to see him headlining the card. It doesn’t appear dos Anjos will be his dance partner, however.
RDA Explains Why he Won’t Fight Outside The United States
For the third ranked UFC welterweight, dos Anjos no longer wants to fight outside of the United States. He explained why to MMAJunkie.com:
“I don’t care who I fight, but I just don’t want to leave my family. I think my family is first. I can’t leave a young kid with my wife alone here. She’s going to get a C-section, so she’s going to need help. I’m the man. I need to be here supporting my wife and my family. That’s my job, and I’m not going to leave my family to fight in another country and fight far away from home.”
With dos Anjos being cleared from his near disastrous ear injury, it’ll be interesting to see who he shares the Octagon with next. The former UFC lightweight champion has already proposed a bout with Kamaru Usman on the UFC 228 card in Dallas. His idea is that Usman can be a late replacement if Darren Till or Tyron Woodley pull out of the main event, and if that isn’t the case then “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” camp isn’t wasted since he’ll have a fight. UFC 228’s card looks pretty much set with 14 fights, so the bout appears unlikely for the Sept. 8 event.
Do you think Rafael dos Anjos’ next opponent will be Santiago Ponzinibbio?
