Conor McGregor’s opponents have an unfortunate habit of pulling out of fights with the Irish superstar. It’s happened to Conor four times in the UFC so far, most notably with Jose Aldo being replaced with Chad Mendes last second, and of course then-UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos being replaced by Nate Diaz.
Dos Anjos got taken out in his next fight, losing the 155 pound championship belt to Eddie Alvarez. And it seems like Conor McGregor can’t help but imagine what could have been if Rafael had fought him instead of pulling out with a foot injury.
“Realistically, I should be a two-weight UFC world champion,” McGregor said during the UFC 202 conference call. “If I fought Rafael dos Anjos, if he didn’t pussy out of that last one and showed up, the shots I cracked Nate with in the first eight minutes would’ve KO’d Rafael dos Anjos stiff. That’s no question. I would be sitting here right now as a two-weight world champion, but I don’t dwell on that.”
It didn’t take long for dos Anjos to respond:
@TheNotoriousMMA if You had fought me you wouldn't be 2 division champ,you would be dead.Look what a out of shape Diaz did to U #I'llbeback
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) August 8, 2016
And by the dubious merits of MMA math, dos Anjos absolutely dominated Nate Diaz across three rounds when they fought while McGregor fell to the Stockton fighter in two. But that’s no substitute for an actual fight … one we’re not liable to see unless dos Anjos wins the lightweight belt back before Conor takes another crack at whoever is holding it. The ‘moneyweight’ McGregor seems interested in titles and big name opponents only these days. Unfortunately for Rafael, he doesn’t have either of those things.
What he does have is the ability to smack talk, and like many other fighters in the UFC, he’s not hesitating to use it to try and draw McGregor into another match up.
