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Picture by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.
Rafael dos Anjos could not be happier that he’ll still be able to fight at UFC Vegas 14 on Saturday, after Paul Felder stepped in to replace Islam Makhachev. For a minute there, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos believed his chance to fight at UFC Vegas 14 might be gone. After his initial opponent, Islam Makhachev, was dislodged of their centerpiece bout due to injuries, it seemed not likely whether the UFC would be able to discover an ideal replacement in time.
Enter the ‘Irish Dragon’.
Simply 5 days shy of fight night, semi-retired lightweight and color-commentator Paul Felder took the chance and stepped up to meet RDA in the Octagon. A ballsy relocation that– according to the former champ– didn’t simply conserve his fight, however rather potentially the entire card, from cancellation.
I desire those men to battle. It was a blessing that Paul Felder took the fight, a higher-ranked man. A battle is a battle and whatever will work out.”.
After speaking with his manager that Makhachev had been eliminated from the card, dos Anjos was used a variety of challengers, including welterweights– but none appeared like the right battle to fill the spot. In the Brazilian’s opinion, previous Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler need to have been the male to step up and seize the day, but he was shocked to learn that ‘Iron’ Mike also turned the deal down.
” I showed up in the USA two weeks before the fight. Sunday night, my supervisor contacted us to inform me that Islam was out of the battle, I couldn’t believe it. It took me a while to process it. The settlement started. Great deals of people offering themselves for the spot. We were looking for the very best alternative. They asked me if I could battle at welterweight. I was already listed below 170 pounds, so I couldn’t actually take any welterweights like that. I have actually been training, I want to reveal I’m back at lightweight and I still have the abilities to win the light-weight belt once again. So I wanted to battle at lightweight.”.
” I had the concept to send a tweet to Michael Chandler. He didn’t combat three weeks ago (when Chandler took the replacement spot for UFC 254, in case Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje withdrew from the battle). He’s always posting images and videos, so I believed ‘that’s our person’. He’s always fit, too and writing some catchphrases like ‘Always be ready’. He said he had other strategies and that’s when the UFC provided me Paul Felder. That’s a battle we were already trying to book back in August. My weight wasn’t really doing that well at that time, so it didn’t work. They provided me Makhachev again after a while, but I’m combating Paul Felder on Saturday.”.
Currently on a two-fight losing skid, Rafael dos Anjos (29-13) dropped consentaneous decisions to both Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa in his last getaways at welterweight. The 36- year-old’s last win dates back to May 2019, when he tapped out Kevin Lee with an arm-triangle choke.
UFC Battle Night 183 is set to take place at the Peak facility in Las Vegas, NV, on November 14 th. Outside the centerpiece, the card is set to feature a welterweight bout in between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Khaos Williams, along with the debut of previous Invicta strawweight champ Kanako Murata.
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