Rafael dos Anjos on Conor McGregor: ‘Holly Holm showed more heart than him’

Although Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos never got their chance to fight at UFC 196, the lightweight champion is still making sure to stir the pot with the featherweight champion.

Dos Anjos appeared on the MMA hour on Monday and spoke about McGregor’s performance against Nate Diaz at UFC 196.

“Honestly, to tell you the truth, I thought [McGregor] would win,” dos Anjos admitted Monday on The MMA Hour (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “He did his best because he had a lot of guys offer to fight him; Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, guys in shape, guys in fight camps. So he picked Nate Diaz, who wasn’t training for sure. Like [Diaz] said, he didn’t spar once for this fight. And he submitted him. So [McGregor] picked the easiest one on his mind, that’s why I thought he was going to win.

“But Nate Diaz is a tough opponent. I’ve fought him. He’s a really hard guy to finish, has a lot of heart, but he’s different than Conor. Conor did not show a lot of heart. He’s a lion when he’s punching somebody, but when he’s getting punched, he becomes a cat. A little cat. When he’s punching somebody, he’s a lion. But when people punch him, he becomes a cat.”

Dos Anjos went on to comment on what some consider a quick tap from McGregor, while former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm went unconscious without tapping.

“This guy, I think, everything he talked, he paid in the Octagon,” dos Anjos said. “He just got exposed, and everything he talked, when the Octagon locked, everybody saw the truth. I think everybody saw the truth last Saturday and he got submitted. Even Holly Holm, she went to sleep without tapping. He tapped. Bro, how are you going to tap on the neck, on the choke? Go to sleep, man. Be a man. Holly Holm showed more heart than him.”