Rafael dos Anjos News

SUG 19 Results: Bader defeats Rumble, Cerrone submits RDA
Harry Kettle - December 21, 2020
Ryan Bader and Donald Cerrone picked up big wins in what proved to be an entertaining night of action at Submission Underground 19. Chael Sonnen’s SUG promotion has been able to draw in some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts over the years, and that trend continued last night as several current and former UFC & Bellator stars hit the ground for some fun grappling exchanges.

Rafael dos Anjos claims he had Khabib Nurmagomedov "snoring" with choke in 2014 fight
Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos claims that he briefly put Khabib Nurmagomedov to sleep in their 2014 fight. Nurmagomedov, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, retired after a submission defeat of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event last month. Despite that retirement announcement, UFC President Dana White is optimistic the champion will fight again.

What's next for Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder after UFC Vegas 14?
Cole Shelton - November 16, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 14, Rafael dos Anjos was making his return to the lightweight division to take on Paul Felder who took the fight on short notice. Entering the fight, both men were looking to get back into the win column and get a top-five opponent next time out. Yet, it was dos Anjos who used his grappling to dominate the fight and win a clear decision, although one judge somehow had it scored for Felder.

Rafael dos Anjos rewarded with dope UFC and USADA jacket after 50 clean drug tests
Adam Martin - November 15, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos was rewarded with a cool USADA jacket after he recently completed 50 clean drug tests all-time. Dos Anjos returned to the UFC lightweight division on Saturday night with a split decision win over Paul Felder in a spectacular fight between two incredible athletes. RDA is now 36 years old but he looked to be in amazing shape moving down to 155lbs for the first time in four years. And he did so clean. 30 fights into his UFC career and RDA has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He is a former UFC champion and a great ambassador of this sport as one of the cleanest athletes in the game today.

Rafael dos Anjos explains why he “struggled” in early moments of Paul Felder fight, admits he was “scared” during judges' decision
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos explained why he felt he struggled in his split decision win over Paul Felder at UFC Vegas 14. RDA made his return to the lightweight division, a weight class where he was previously a champion, after losing four of his last five fights at welterweight to bigger fighters. In his return to the weight class he used to be the king of, RDA took on Felder in the main event of UFC Vegas 14, and he took home a split decision at the end of 25 minutes. Most felt that he should have won unanimously, but regardless of the scores, a win is a win.

Photo | Check out the scorecards for the Rafael dos Anjos vs. Paul Felder split decision
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2020
When the judges scored Rafael dos Anjos vs. Paul Felder at UFC Vegas 14 as a split decision, it was a shocker for almost everyone watching. The main event of UFC Vegas 14 was a competitive, yet clear decision for dos Anjos. BJPenn.com scored the fight 49-46 in favor of dos Anjos, giving him the first three rounds and the fifth round and giving Felder the fourth round. Most of the media at MMADecisions.com scored the fighter either 50-45 or 49-46 for dos Anjos.

Islam Makhachev reacts to Rafael dos Anjos’ win over Paul Felder: “Let’s finish our business in nearest future”
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2020
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev reacted to Rafael dos Anjos’ win over Paul Felder, by saying “Let’s finish our business in nearest future.” Makhachev was set to take on dos Anjos at UFC 254 in October, but RDA was forced to withdraw from the bout due to testing positive for COVID-19. The UFC then booked Makhachev and RDA in their own headliner on the UFC Vegas 14 card two weeks later, but Makhachev was forced out of the fight due to health issues. In turn, Paul Felder stepped in on five days’ notice and saved the card. The rest, as they say, is history.

Paul Felder reacts following split decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos, blasts fighters for missing weight
Christopher Taylor - November 14, 2020
Paul Felder stepped up on just five days notice to save tonight’s UFC Vegas 14 event by squaring off with former 155lbs champion Rafael dos Anjos. It was a big risk for ‘The Irish Dragon’, but one he knew would payoff with dividends if he could pull off the upset.

Rafael dos Anjos calls out Conor McGregor, 'The Notorious' responds
Chris Taylor - November 14, 2020
It did not take long for Conor McGregor to address the callout he received from Rafael dos Anjos following the conclusion of tonight’s UFC Vegas 14 event. Dos Anjos (30-13 MMA) returned to the promotions lightweight division in the headliner of tonight’s UFC event for a pivotal bout with Paul Felder.

Pros react after Rafael dos Anjos defeats Paul Felder at UFC Vegas 14
Chris Taylor - November 14, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 14 event was headlined by a key lightweight contest featuring former title holder Rafael dos Anjos taking on Paul Felder. Felder, who took tonight’s fight on just 5 days notice, had entered UFC Vegas 14 looking to rebound, this after dropping a split-decision loss to Dan Hooker in his most recent effort. ‘The Irish Dragon’ had gone 3-2 over his past five fights overall, which included a TKO victory over Charles Oliveira.

UFC Vegas 14 Results: Rafael dos Anjos defeats Paul Felder (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - November 14, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 14 event is headlined by a key lightweight contest featuring former title holder Rafael dos Anjos taking on Paul Felder. The UFC’s former lightweight champion, Dos Anjos, was initially slated to fight Islam Makhachev in tonight’s event headliner. However, the Russian standout tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to withdraw from the contest.

UFC Vegas 14: 'Felder vs. Dos Anjos' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - November 14, 2020
The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 14 event, a ten-bout fight card headlined by Paul Felder vs. Rafael dos Anjos. The former UFC lightweight champion, Dos Anjos, was initially slated to fight Islam Makhachev in tonight’s event headliner. However, the Russian standout tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to withdraw from the contest.

UFC Vegas 14 weigh-in results: One fight scrapped, three fighters miss weight
Tom Taylor - November 13, 2020
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the under-the-radar UFC Vegas 14 card out of the promotion’s Apex facility. The card was originally expected to be headlined by a lightweight showdown between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev. When Makhachev was forced off the bill with a staph infection, however, No. 7-ranked lightweight contender Paul Felder stepped in to replace him on just five days’ notice. Felder will now meet dos Anjos in a five-round lightweight fight in the card’s main event.

Pro fighters make their picks for Paul Felder vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Cole Shelton - November 12, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 14, Paul Felder is stepping up on five days’ notice to take on Rafael dos Anjos in RDA’s return to 155-pounds. Heading into the fight, Felder is a +155 underdog while the Brazilian is a -190 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe it will be dos Anjos getting his hand raised.

Rafael dos Anjos believes rebooking Conor McGregor fight makes sense if he beats Paul Felder
Cole Shelton - November 11, 2020
Rafael dos Anjos believes a fight with Conor McGregor makes a lot of sense if he beats Paul Felder on Saturday night. Dos Anjos and McGregor were supposed to fight at UFC 196 with the Irishman looking to become a champ-champ. However, RDA was forced out of the fight due to an injury and then lost his belt to Eddie Alvarez who went on to fight McGregor.

Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN+ 41: Felder vs. dos Anjos
Adam Martin - November 11, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for the 12 fights scheduled to take place at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 41: Felder vs. dos Anjos event. The main event of the evening is an intriguing five-round lightweight bout between former champion Rafael dos Anjos and top contender Paul Felder. Dos Anjos was supposed to fight Islam Makhachev but he was forced to withdraw due to illness and was replaced on five days’ notice by Felder. Dos Anjos enters this content having lost four of his last five fights, albeit at welterweight, while Felder’s coming off of a razor-thin decision loss to Dan Hooker.

Rafael dos Anjos shames Michael Chandler for turning down short-notice fight
Tom Taylor - November 10, 2020
Rafael dos Anjos is not impressed with Michael Chandler after the former Bellator champ turned down a short-notice fight at UFC Vegas 13. Dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion, was originally expected to take on Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC Vegas 13, which goes down this Saturday on ESPN+. When Makhachev withdrew from the fight, however, he called on Chandler, who has yet to make his UFC debut, to step in.

Paul Felder reacts to short notice fight against Rafael dos Anjos: "These are the moments I will tell my grandkids about"
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2020
Paul Felder is happy to be fighting Rafael dos Anjos on short notice. On Monday, it was announced Felder was stepping up on five days to face dos Anjos after Islam Makhachev was forced to withdraw. Immediately, many fans were ecstatic for the fight, and for Felder, he says he’s excited to share the Octagon with a legend in dos Anjos.