The fight is yet to be officially confirmed, but it's pretty much a done deal that Conor McGregor will face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 197 in an attempt to become the first fighter ever to hold two UFC titles in separate divisions at the same time.
The UFC have granted McGregor's wishes, as he was talking this fight up even before he had defeated Jose Aldo for the unified featherweight title, and it's clear that so long as Conor keeps bringing in the numbers and delivering on what he says he is going to do, then he can pretty much call the shots.
Dos Anjos represents a genuine tough test for McGregor, and while that has indeed been said about every fighter that the Dubliner has dismissed en route to where he is today, the current leightweight champ is bigger and stronger than anyone McGregor has faced, and the size advantage he enjoys over featherweights will no longer be present.
The bookies will be going back and forth on who is the favourite, and it's certainly going to be a close one to call for MMA fans, but Rafael Dos Anjos' coach and head of Kings MMA, Rafael Cordeiro, has kicked off the verbal back and forth that we all knew was coming by claiming that his boy wants to crush Conor's soul.
We didn’t receive an official 100 percent confirmation from the UFC, but that’s something we’re waiting on, From our part, it’s already signed. It’s important to make it clear that this was a request from McGregor. Rafael is really happy to ‘welcome’ him in a brutal way to the lightweight division.
It’s a fighter that we truly believe we can beat. He’s coming from a lower division, and he can be sure that he’ll face a strong champion who will not change his style. McGregor has already proven to be a great athlete, but we have five rounds to beat him and Rafael is coming in hungry to beat him, not only physically but spiritually, and to break his soul inside the Octagon. I bet Rafael will finish him in a brutal way, the same way he has finished his last fights.
Although it could be argued that Conor's 'Red Panty Night' jibe is what kicked all of this off back in September, as both fighters had title fights on the horizon we're calling this the first shot taken ahead of UFC 197.
Either way, we can't wait for this.
McGregor may well be delighted what Rafael Cordeiro has said regarding Dos Anjos style and his unwillingness to change, as the Brazilian likes to pressure his opponents, which could be ideal for Conor's devastating counters, but it's too early to go predicting the fight at this point.
With Holly Holm making her first title defence on the same night, it's going to be another huge event for the UFC, which is music to the ears of MMA fans that have enjoyed some spectacular shows in recent times.
via Sherdog.com
