UFC on FOX 13: Rafael dos Anjos Makes Case For Title Shot
By FCF Staff
Rafael dos Anjos will battle Nate Diaz tomorrow night at UFC on FOX 13, and the lightweight contender believes a victory should secure him a fight with champion Anthony Pettis.
Dos Anjos has certainly impressed in recent years, as the well rounded fighter has gone 7-1 since 2011 and is currently ranked #3. The 30 year-old’s only setback came against Khabib Nurmagomedov, who decisioned dos Anjos back in April.
Although the #1 contender has also been campaigning for a title shot, following a knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of 2014, dos Anjos recently told UFC.com the following:
“He’s before me, but he’s out,” dos Anjos said while referring to Nurmagomedov. “He has an injury, so I think after I beat Nate Diaz, I deserve a title shot. I’ve been in the UFC for six years and I have 17 fights – I changed my whole life because of UFC, because of my fights, because I trust my talents.”
Most recently, dos Anjos took out former champ Benson Henderson in the first round, and moved his overall record to 22-7.
“Every day, I feel that I’m getting better. I just turned 30 years old, so I still have six or seven more years of my career…I want to be the best and I think I will still improve. You guys haven’t seen the best Rafael yet. I still have a lot of things to get better at and I think after this fight, I deserve a title shot.”
UFC on FOX 13 will be hosted by the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.