UFC Fight Night 98 headliner Rafael dos Anjos: Title loss was 'a bitter pill to swallow'

Even after a title loss, Rafael dos Anjos said he still felt a champion to the people who are most important in his life.

Dos Anjos dropped the UFC lightweight belt with a TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez in July. It ended his five-fight winning streak and knocked him from the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings.

Now ranked No. 3, dos Anjos (25-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC) starts his quest to reclaim the belt when he meets fellow contender and No. 4-ranked Tony Ferguson (21-3 MMA, 11-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 98 headliner, which airs on FS1 from Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

In the above video, dos Anjos talks about the title loss but how it hasn’t deterred him.

“In my last fight, I lost the title,” the 32-year-old Brazilian said. “That was a bitter pill to swallow. I’m building myself back, and I will be back stronger than ever.

“Once I got back home, I knew my kids and my wife and my true friends, I’m still a champion for them, and I’m ready to prove it once again.”

However, he knows Ferguson, who’s won eight straight UFC fights – the most by any fighter without receiving a title shot – represents a tricky challenge due to an unorthodox and dangerous style.

Check out the video above as dos Anjos discusses his plans to rebound and why Ferguson makes that a tough proposition.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

view original article >>