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Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has taken to his official social media account to post a video of the time he made current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov 'snore'.
Rafael dos Anjos faced Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2014
Rafael dos Anjos faced Khabib Nurmagomedov back in April 2014 in a three-round lightweight bout. Dos Anjos ended up losing to Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision.
Dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov subsequently went on to great success in the UFC – both fighters winning the UFC lightweight title over the course of their careers.
However, Dos Anjos – who has often expressed interest in competing in a rematch against Nurmagomedov to avenge his loss – hasn’t received the chance to even the score against the Russian as of yet.
Additionally, with Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement from MMA in October of this year, it’s entirely possible that Dos Anjos might never be able to face Nurmagomedov in a rematch.
Rafael dos Anjos believes he's the fighter who came the closest to beating Khabib Nurmagomedov
Rafael dos Anjos took to his Instagram account and posted a video that featured him attempting a guillotine choke against Khabib Nurmagomedov in their 2014 matchup.
Dos Anjos has always been known for his well-rounded MMA skill-set, and is highly skilled in the BJJ and overall grappling realm as well.
Nevertheless, Dos Anjos was unable to make Nurmagomedov tap or pass out from the guillotine choke, and Nurmagomedov eventually secured the victory by way of unanimous decision.
During a recent press conference in Moscow, Russia, Nurmagomedov had turned down potential rematches with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, saying that he’d already submitted McGregor and Poirier in his fights against them.
RDA has now referenced the comments in his Instagram post. Dos Anjos posted a video of him trying to submit Nurmagomedov with a guillotine choke, and claimed that he almost made him tap in their fight.
RDA noted that a rib injury he was dealing with at the time played a part in preventing him from successfully pulling off the submission against Nurmagomedov.
Moreover, Dos Anjos explained that his aim has been to defeat Nurmagomedov’s training partner and fellow UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev before facing Nurmagomedov in the rematch.
RDA suggested that he will keep improving and stay prepared, just in case Nurmagomedov decides to return to MMA and chooses to fight him. Dos Anjos’ statement on Instagram read:
“Khabib said he is not interested in fighting Conor or Dustin as he choked both of them. He did not choke me. As a matter of fact I got him snoring until a slipping rib saved him from. He beat me fair and square, but no one got closer to putting the Champ out. My plan was to beat his brother and go after that neck again. That plan felt apart for reasons beyond my control, but I will keep sharping my tools just in case he decides to come back and chooses me.”
One ought to note that Rafael dos Anjos has emphasized, however, that by no means is he claiming that Khabib Nurmagomedov tapped in their fight. As noted below, Dos Anjos sent a follow-up tweet after the Instagram post.
What’s your take on the statements put forth by Rafael dos Anjos regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov? Sound off in the comments.
