Rafael dos Anjos Vows To Brutally Punish Conor McGregor At UFC 197

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos came face to face at today’s (January 20, 2016) UFC 197 press conference ahead of their March 5 super fight for the Brazilian’s title, and as expected, things got heated very quickly.

The “Notorious” one is attempting to do something no other fighter in UFC history has done before: simultaneously hold two titles at one time. Coming off of a sensational 13 second knockout over former longtime 145-pound boss Jose Aldo, the Irishman, confident in prediction as always, is eyeing yet another quick finish.

The Brazilian champion on the other hand, has different plans, detailing that he will drag McGregor into deep waters, before punishing him for his relentless trash talk:

“I’m gonna have a chance to finish this fight in the first round,” said dos Anjos. “But I want to punish him all the way until the third, until the fourth. I’m gonna make him bleed. He’s gonna pay for everything he’s talking about everybody. For all the disrespect this guy has.”

As far as the trash talk goes, McGregor has repeatedly called dos Anjos a traitor to his native Brazil, something that just doesn’t make sense to the lightweight king:

“For me, it doesn’t make any sense,” said Dos Anjos. “The whole world has American dreams. This country has people from all parts of the world. We have Irish who live here, we have Brazilians. I think these people don’t deserve to be called traitors.”

For dos Anjos, it’s not about the talk, as he’s simply focused on sending McGregor plummeting back down to featherweight:

“I’m not a trash talker,” said Dos Anjos. “I respect my opponents. I don’t trash talk, I just talk the truth. On March 5, I’m gonna send this guy home sad and I’m gonna keep my belt.”

Just under a month away from fight night, March 5, 2016 promises to be a historic night for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Which champion will walk away victorious?