“I Would Beat Conor”: If Not for Severe Injury, Conor McGregor Would Have Lost Cancelled Fight, Declares Rafael Dos Anjos

Conor McGregor was forced to pull out of a fight for the first time in his illustrious UFC career last month. Booked to fight his rival ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’ Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29, ‘Mac’ broke his pinky toe weeks before the bout, and had to withdraw.

While the fans were devastated, one man was having a laugh: Rafael dos Anjos. ‘RDA’ was at the receiving end of McGregor’s acerbic taunts and hilarious digs for pulling out due to an injury from his scheduled bout against the bombastic Irishman at UFC 196. When the Rio native got his chance to respond, he responded to ‘Mac’ in kind.

Rafael dos Anjos thinks he would have ended Conor McGregor’s undefeated streak

Dos Anjos joined ‘Submission Radio’ for an interview, where he was asked about his potential UFC 196 bout against Conor McGregor. And ‘RDA’ had no doubt what the result of the fight would have been. The Brazilian felt that since he was in his prime, in terrific shape, and was getting the better of former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, who was stylistically similar to McGregor, he would have handed the Irishman his first UFC loss.

“Oh man, I was I was in great shape. But I was on my prime, you know. I remember I was training partner with Lyoto Machida at that time and he had a very similar style to Conor, and I was having good rounds with Lyoto Machida, man. And I was going toe-to-toe with Lyoto. It was good, training sessions, and I was on my prime. And I think I would have beat Conor for sure,” RDA said.

There does seem to be some merit to the former champ’s claims. Dos Anjos, after all, was the champion at the time, and was an excellent grappler, which always troubles pure strikers like ‘Mac’. But he broke his foot a month before the fight, which led to one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history. Nate Diaz, with his black belt level BJJ, filled in for the injured ‘RDA’ and beat McGregor in what has since become one of the greatest moments in UFC history.

Dos Anjos, however, thinks that he would have been the one to make history, had he not been forced to withdraw from the March 2016 bout. The Brazilian took an indirect dig at the Irishman pulling out due to a broken pinky toe, telling the host that he was willing to fight even with a broken foot, but the doctor didn’t clear him as he couldn’t even walk. The Rio de Janeiro native also had some choice words for Michael Chandler, who has chosen to wait for McGregor to recover.

Dos Anjos tells Chandler to take the title shot

Michael Chandler has decided to wait even more to fight Conor McGregor. Dana White and co., after ‘Mac’s pull out from UFC 303, did the right thing and offered ‘Iron’ a title shot if he didn’t want to wait for McGregor. Chandler, who has been waiting for a long time having last fought at UFC 281 almost two years ago, turned down the opportunity.

Dos Anjos thinks that Chandler should not have turned down the title shot. The former champ felt that no matter how much Chandler may get for his McGregor fight, he should not have turned down a shot at the title, as that is something priceless. RDA advised the former Bellator champion to move on as the wait was becoming ’embarrassing’.

“How much is the opportunity to become a world champion worth? For some of us, there is no price on a UFC belt. Mine is certainly not for sale. Chandler should stop with his ‘see you at the top’ motivational speeches. It’s embarrassing…” he tweeted.

What are your thoughts on RDA’s advice to Chandler? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.