Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor have unfinished business and there’s still a chance it could be settled.
McGregor’s recent comeback attempt at UFC 329 this past July ended in disaster, when he suffered a knee injury during his fight with Max Holloway that eventually forced the bout to be stopped after barely a minute of action. The former two-division UFC champion has mentioned April as a possible return date, which could line up nicely with dos Anjos’ schedule should he be victorious against
Alexander Hernandez this Saturday at UFC 332.
Dos Anjos and McGregor were famously set to fight for dos Anjos’ lightweight title at UFC 197 in 2016, but dos Anjos was forced to bow out with an injury. McGregor instead went on to a blockbuster two-fight series with Nate Diaz, while dos Anjos later dropped his title to Eddie Alvarez instead. A decade later, is there a chance they finally meet inside the octagon?
“That would be awesome,” dos Anjos told MMA Fighting’s José Youngs. “It’s not about money, my life went on, I’m not going to do like Michael Chandler and sit on the sidelines for two years waiting for a fight that never happens. That might never happen, maybe he could get the fight, who knows? But I think in my time, if I wanted to wait back in the day and not want to fight Eddie Alvarez, waiting for Conor, it maybe could happen, but I just wanted to defend my title and keep the ball rolling.
“Who knows? God has a plan and whatever he decides, if the stars line up, and God says it’s your time, that would be great. I would love that.”
McGregor responded positively to dos Anjos’ comments, replying to MMA Fighting’s post with “Thank you Rafael.”
It’s been over six years since McGregor has won a fight, with his past two in-cage appearances both ending in injury. Dos Anjos knows how it feels to be sidelined by knee problems, as he tore his ACL in his most recent fight against Geoff Neal at UFC 308 in October 2024.
He sympathizes with McGregor’s frustrations, though he isn’t sure they share the same fire to get back in fighting shape.
“It sucks,” dos Anjos said. “When I saw that and I heard it was an ACL, especially everybody wants to see a good fight, I don’t like the guy but I don’t wish bad upon nobody. What I went through, I don’t wish it upon nobody. He could come back, but he’s got to want it.
“If you’re too comfortable with your life and with finances, you’re not motivated, you’re not going to come back. You have to be really dialed in and want to do one more fight. You want to win, you have to have that desire again like I’m having right now. If you don’t have, you’re not going to make it.”
Dos Anjos is eager to get back in the cage Saturday for what will mark his 50th pro bout and 37th for the UFC. Having been in the fight game for over 20 years, dos Anjos has questions when it comes to the current generation of fighters, especially when it comes to preparation and willingness to face proper competition.
“I see these guys these days, ‘OK, I need eight, I need 10 weeks, 12 weeks fight camp,’” dos Anjos said. “We stay ready. My first MMA fight, I got a call on Wednesday to fight on Saturday. We just stay ready. We got the call, we go there. These guys these days, ‘I’ve got to get in a fight camp.’ You’ve got to stay ready. When opportunity knocks on your door, if you’re not ready, you’re going to miss it. That’s what I think about the fighters nowadays. All about strategic, they don’t want to take risks, they want to build their records, they want to build undefeated records.
“When I make my move up to the welterweight division, I thought I could ideally go straight to the title, but I had to fight Neil Magny, Tarec Saffiedine, Robbie Lawler and then earn a title shot. I see guys moving up a division, straight title shot. If I get a title shot tomorrow, I’ve got a chance of winning, maybe, I could, because it’s a fight. Get caught just with a punch. Now, to do a title run is a different story, that’s what I think.”
