Rafael dos Anjos was riding a two-fight losing streak heading into his main event fight against Kevin Lee at UFC Rochester. There, Lee had some early success but in the end, RDA came out on top winning by submission in the fourth round, which was a huge sigh of relief for the former lightweight champion.
“My debut in the UFC, I lost two in a row,” dos Anjos said after the win (via MMA Fighting). “Before I moved up a division, I lost two in a row, and I’m not gonna lie to you guys. I was under a lot of pressure. But it’s good to be back in the winning path.”
With the win, RDA will keep his third spot in the rankings and says he’s still confident he can win the welterweight title.
“Kevin, he’s a tough guy, but he wasn’t ranked,” dos Anjos said. “He came up a division now and I think that was a good fight to put me on the winning path. I see the interim champion will fight the champion right now, probably. I’m just open. I’m not sticking too much with the rankings right now, but I have this desire in me.
“I want to be champion one day and if I don’t believe that I’m not gonna be a champion, I’m gonna stop fighting. I’m gonna quit this sport. I still believe I can make it and I’m going to work. I’m working hard on it.”
“I needed that [win tonight]. My last win inside the Octagon was 18 months ago against Robbie Lawler, December 2017. I feel great, it’s a big weight off of my back.”
