Rafael dos Anjos: 'I want to become a legend'
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is very familiar with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone after defeating him just under two years ago. As dos Anjos prepares for their title fight rematch this Saturday (FOX, 8 p.m. ET), he sees the second fight going the same way, except with one small twist.
He wants a finish.
"I'm looking for that. If I hit him the right way like I did last time, he got back standing, but if I hit him with my hands this time, he's not going to come back anymore," dos Anjos told FOX Sports recently. "I'm sure about that.
"Since our last fight, I think we've both improved a lot, but I've improved even more. I'm so confident in my hands and my stand-up game, I gained a lot of confidence in my last fight. I'm looking to finish this fight. I'm not going there to try and win by decision."
The confidence in his hands led dos Anjos to a rout over former champion Anthony Pettis, who was widely considered the best striker in the division until he ran into the Brazilian earlier this year at UFC 185.
From the very start of the fight, dos Anjos hammered Pettis with huge punches and kicks while pressuring and out-powering him from one side of the Octagon to the other. It was considered an upset at the time, but dos Anjos plans on cementing his spot as the best lightweight in the world this weekend.
However, according to dos Anjos, one title defense won't be enough for him -- he wants to set records and go down as one of the greatest fighters of all time. It starts with a second win over Cerrone this weekend.
"I want to do that. That's my goal. I want to become a legend," dos Anjos said. "That's my goal now. I want to keep this title as much as I can. I think I will do it because I'm able to learn more every day. To try new things while I'm training. I just turned 31 but I feel great. My body feels great, my mind feels great, and it took me so long to get my chance for the title but I think it was God's time. He knows everything, he put me here at the right time, at the place, and nobody is going to take me away from this position now.
"It wasn't easy to get here and it will not be easy to take my title away from me."
Even before winning the title, dos Anjos kept a close eye on the division, including Cerrone's incredible eight-fight winning streak that finally earned him a rematch and his first ever shot at the UFC lightweight title.
During those eight fights, Cerrone has taken out some notable top 10 fighters, including Eddie Alvarez, Myles Jury and Edson Barboza. There's also a victory over former champion Benson Henderson -- dos Anjos isn't exactly singing Cerrone's praises on that one but still believes he's done enough to earn a shot at the gold this weekend.
"I think he deserves the shot because after that fight he won eight fights in a row. That's a lot for this division. I think he deserves the shot, he's been doing well, but I just watched his recent fight against Benson Henderson and of course he lost that fight but other than that he did great," dos Anjos said. "In my opinion, he lost to Ben Henderson but on the official result he won but he did great. He deserves this shot."
Rematches are sometimes tough business for fighters, especially after a dominant, one-sided performance like dos Anjos put on against Cerrone in their last meeting. It's nearly impossible to duplicate that kind of showing, and it gives an opponent that much more time to fix past errors and improve upon a previous outing.
But the way dos Anjos looks at this fight isn't as much about needing to beat Cerrone for a second time in two years -- it's about defending his belt. A real champion doesn't just win it, they defend it.
"It will be great," dos Anjos said. "I beat Cowboy two years ago but for me my first title defense, he's been doing great since then, and whatever they put on my front, I want to beat. I want to be the best in the world. I want people to remember me as a guy who works hard. It doesn't matter who they put in front of me, I just want people to remember me. I go to kill or die. I just go there to fight whoever they put in front of me."
At the end of the day, dos Anjos believes that's what separates him from Cerrone, and it will be the difference when they meet on Saturday night. Throughout his career, dos Anjos has always fought to be the best and his mind has been driven by that goal more than any other.
He's not sure Cerrone can say the same thing. In those moments during the fight when one of them is forced to dig down just a little bit deeper to find a way to win, dos Anjos knows he has that extra gear because nothing means more to him than being the best.
"I heard 'Cowboy' Cerrone, he was doing some interview, that he doesn't wake up everyday, driving to the gym to be the best in the world. He's fighting for the money, that's what he says," dos Anjos said.
"I fight for my legacy, I fight for my family. Of course, we fight because we need money to live but the money is not what's most important. I fight to be the best. I fight to be a good example for kids. I want to teach to become like me. I want to be an example. So when I wake up every day, I take my kids to school and then I'm training to be the best."
