Rafael dos Anjos says he’s a bad matchup for Conor McGregor: “I use a lot of those calf kicks”

UFC lightweight Rafael dos Anjos says he’s a bad matchup for Conor McGregor, suggesting he would utilize a lot of calf kicks if they fought.

Dos Anjos and McGregor were originally supposed to meet back at UFC 196 in March 2016, but dos Anjos pulled out of the fight due to injury. He was replaced by Nate Diaz, which led to one of the greatest moments of all time when Diaz tapped McGregor out. Instead of fighting McGregor in a money fight that day, dos Anjos instead didn’t get that fight, and then he lost his title in his very next outing in an upset to Eddie Alvarez, while McGregor and Diaz exploded into mega superstars.

It’s now five years later, and while dos Anjos is no longer the UFC lightweight champion, he’s still one of the best in the world at 155lbs, coming in at No. 7 in the current UFC rankings, just one spot behind No. 6, McGregor. Considering the history between these two and the fact they are ranked directly beside each other, some have suggested a potential re-booking between the two. If that happens, dos Anjos says it’s going to be a very bad night for McGregor due to a bad stylistic matchup.

“I don’t see myself as a good option for Conor. I’m a southpaw, I have a grappling game that is dangerous for him, I use a lot of those calf kicks,” dos Anjos told Sherdog.com.

Dos Anjos is, of course, referring to the low kicks that Dustin Poirier landed on McGregor at UFC 257, which slowed him down considerably before Poirier scored the second-round knockout finish. Dos Anjos himself has utilized leg kicks in the past to great success, such as when he fought and defeated Nate Diaz in December 2014.

And speaking of Diaz, dos Anjos believes that could be McGregor’s next fight. As much as dos Anjos would love to finally get his hands on McGregor, the Brazilian admits that a trilogy bout against Diaz or Poirier makes the most sense for McGregor. Although he would rematch Diaz, dos Anjos says he’s a bad matchup for him, too.

“In my opinion, it would be much more interesting if they promote a trilogy with Poirier or Diaz. The same works for Diaz. My game just doesn’t fit with his style, and the biggest proof for that is that I (beat) him easily and he never asked for a rematch. I’m a better grappler, better striker and my jiu-jitsu is superior to his. So I understand why he never called my name again,” dos Anjos said.

Do you want to see the UFC re-book the Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor fight?