Rafael dos Anjos Thinks Time is Right to Revisit Conor McGregor Matchup

After vanquishing Renato Carneiro in the UFC 272 co-main event, Rafael dos Anjos believes it’s time to potentially revisit a showdown with Conor McGregor.

It’s the type of matchup that would appropriately motivate the 37-year-old Brazilian at this stage of his career.

“I think the moment that we live in right now, that fight would make a lot of sense,” dos Anjos said at the UFC 272 post-fight press conference. “I was on a 16-month layoff. Conor broke his leg and is coming back in the summer, I think. That would make sense. The division is kind of crazy right now and I think that fight would make a lot of sense. …

“That would be a big money fight, of course. We have a history, too. Like I said, I’m looking for names that make me want to go to the gym and train. It’s been so many years in this game. I don’t want to fight names that don’t interest me, that don’t push me to go to the gym. I’m 37 years old. [I’ve] fought pretty much everybody in two divisions.”

When dos Anjos was lightweight champion, he was scheduled for a blockbuster showdown with McGregor, who was then the featherweight title holder, at UFC 196. That fight fell through when dos Anjos broke his foot, setting the stage for Round 1 of the McGregor-Nate Diaz rivalry.

With the current climate of the lightweight division, dos Anjos likes the possibility of a bout against McGregor once the Irish star heals from a broken leg suffered against Dustin Poirier last July.

“It looks like Islam [Makhachev] is going to fight Beneil Dariush,” dos Anjos said . “He had a chance to fight me tonight and he didn’t. At 170 pounds, I took that fight. They [didn’t]. I don’t know. It looks like Conor is coming back in the summer. That could be a good one. A title fight is already scheduled. We’ll see, man. A lot of things can happen.

“I just want to be active. I want to be training. I need good names. I’ve been in this game for so many years and fought everybody in two divisions. I need names that make me want to go to the gym and train hard for it. That’s what I want.”