Former UFC Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has confirmed his interest in a rematch against Anthony Pettis following their 1st-fight back at UFC 185.
Dos Anjos is currently riding a 2-fight losing streak at the hands of Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa. His last win was a submission victory over Kevin Lee back at UFC Rochester in May 2019. Pettis is currently in the same boat with 2-consecutive losses against Nate Diaz and Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Both of these men are looking to get back in the win column. Now it appears that they could attempt to do so against one another.
“I’m in” dos Anjos said on Twitter after a fan suggested a rematch against Pettis.
Back in their 1st fight at UFC 185 in March 2015, dos Anjos became the UFC Lightweight champion after beating Pettis via unanimous decision. Since then, many fans think the fight sent Pettis on a downward spiral in terms of his MMA career. “Showtime” has had 11 fights since then and went 4-7 in them.
Funnily enough, dos Anjos has also had 11 fights since their first meeting — although he’s sporting a slightly better record at 5-6. Since then, both men have also challenged for interim titles in different weight classes. Dos Anjos lost to Colby Covington in their Interim Welterweight Championship bout and Pettis was beaten by Max Holloway in their Interim Featherweight Championship fight.
Even though their careers have went in different directions, both men have mirrored each other in more ways than one. A 3rd-loss could be devastating for either competitor, so they would almost certainly be putting it all on the line to avoid dropping 3-in-a-row and to build some momentum.
They first met in the Octagon at Lightweight. This time around it wouldn’t be surprising to see them square off at Welterweight.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 4th March, 2020.
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