With the murderers’ row of contenders waiting to overturn Rafael dos Anjos, the lightweight champion can be excused for refusing to focus on one fighter.
Dos Anjos meets Eddie Alvarez on Thursday night and, presuming he gets past the challenger, he has no shortage of options for his next outing with Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz all hovering in the top five.
Brazil’s dos Anjos was expected to defend his 155 lb crown against Conor McGregor in March, in what would have been both fighters’ most lucrative bout to date, before dos Anjos got injured and was forced out of UFC 196.
McGregor’s eventual defeat to Nate Diaz set up a rematch with the Stockton fighter at UFC 202 and dos Anjos insists he is not dwelling on the so-called ‘red panty night’ with the featherweight champion.
“I fight for money to supply my family, but money doesn’t come first in my life,” dos Anjos said in a media scrum ahead of UFC Fight Night 90. “I think anybody that puts money first doesn’t go well. I put God first in my life and everything else behind that … I think you have a good legacy, that’s what’s most important.”
UFC 196 ended up registering 1,500,000 pay-per-view buys but arguably would have done better with the champion vs. champion narrative with which the UFC was initially going.
McGregor wanted to become the first fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold belts in two different UFC weight classes but it wasn’t to be, with dos Anjos’ injury ruling him out at the 11th hour.
But dos Anjos insists he has not closed the door on a grudge match with ‘The Notorious’ if and when he decides to pursue the realisation of their scrapped March meeting.
“Conor McGregor is (featherweight champion). I am the lightweight champion,” dos Anjos said. “I can’t make 145 lbs. I’d have to chop my leg off. And who wants two belts? He wants two belts. He wants to be a two division champ, like he said. My job is to keep my lightweight belt. The day he wants to come to lightweight and the UFC thinks he deserves the shot, I’ll be there. He is welcome.
“Certainly, Conor McGregor is a guy who sells a lot, who’s at the top. It’s a big pay-per-view, and I’m fighting on Fight Pass now. No doubt, it’s a fight that will bring a lot more of a financial outcome.”
