Dos Anjos was left out of UFC 196. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Original opponent of Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Rafael dos Anjos he was not at all impressed with the Irishman's performance last Saturday (5). The Brazilian, UFC lightweight champion, criticized the featherweight title holder for showing “little heart” in withdrawing from the fight against Nate diaz.
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McGregor had a good first round and initially had the advantage on his feet against the American, but he didn't maintain the pace in the second round. Diaz found his distance better, landed good shots, reversed a McGregor takedown and finished the fight with a rear naked choke.
In an interview with the podcast “The MMA Hour”, Dos Anjos stated that the Irishman should have refused to tap and lost consciousness, just like he did Holly holm against Miesha Tate in the second most important fight of the night.
“Conor didn’t show much heart. He is a lion when he is hitting, but he turns into a kitten when he is beaten. Everyone saw the truth. Even Holly holm he didn't hit [the chokehold] and slept. How are you going to hit a chokehold? Erase, be a man. Holly holm He showed a lot more heart than him. He doesn't deserve another fight at lightweight. He was submitted by the fifth-placed lightweight, who only trained ten days for the fight”, analyzed the Brazilian.
The lightweight champion said he did not celebrate McGregor's setback, but considered that the Irishman received what he deserved. “I don’t care about anyone losing. It's a loser's mentality to be happy about someone's defeat. I don't want to think like that, because one day I'm going to be there in the octagon, so I don't want anyone to root for me to lose. But I think everyone got what they deserved. Conor said it was God, and God did everything perfectly. God showed him and the world who he really is”, he assessed.
Finally, Dos Anjos showed no remorse for not facing McGregor in a fight that caught the public's attention and could have made him money. “Money is not the most important thing for me. I'm happy with what I earn and I have everything in my life. Life is not just about money,” he said.
Dos Anjos and McGregor would fight champions in the main attraction of UFC 196, but the Brazilian fractured his foot less than two weeks before the duel.
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