Conor McGregor Promises To ‘Dust Dos Anjos’ In One Minute, Win Welterweight Title
Conor McGregor kicked off his all-out verbal assault on Rafael dos Anjos with a bold prediction…
As usual, featherweight champion Conor McGregor set the MMA world ablaze during yesterday’s UFC 197 press conference with a new set of seething quotes directed at his current opponent, UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, whom he’ll meet in the highly anticipated main event of the March 5 pay-per-view (PPV) card from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
‘The Notorious’ has been busy on the mic since his emphatic 13-second KO of MMA legend Jose Aldo at December 12’s UFC 194, and even though the recently dominant dos Anjos presents a stiff challenge, it seems as if McGregor is brushing that prospect off a little bit. To him, he’s just another roadblock on the way to more UFC title belts:
“I will go through every single one of them; make no mistake about it. Rafael is next, and that is it. More gold belts.”
Not predominantly known for his trash talk as opposed to his fighting skills, Dos Anjos has made headlines by trouncing Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone in rapid succession to become the best 155-pound fighter in MMA. Yet McGregor once again partook in mind games to seemingly look past ‘RDA’ by bringing up the prospect of moving up to 170 pounds to fight for a third belt:
“I am an active champion. I will fight in many weight divisions. As it grows and all of this forms now, I like the sound of that 170-pound title. I feel I can take down them three gold belts, and I feel I can do it by the year’s end.”
While that may seem like an almost unattainable goal to work towards, McGregor cited his high activity level in conjunction with the belief that he’ll finish dos Anjos inside of one minute like he did Aldo. To him, dos Anjos is just a slower version of ‘Junior,’ whom he labeled a ‘true Brazilian champion’ unlike dos Anjos.
Jump to the next page to find out how McGregor sees his fight with dos Anjos unfolding…
“I’ll be fresh after 197; I believe I will dust Rafael inside of one minute, he is a slower, sloppier version of Aldo. He’s like a bum version of Aldo, so I believe, in absolutely, everything, inside one minute I will dust him, I will exit the contest fresh, I will cash the check, I will sign the next contract for UFC 200 at the brand new MGM; we’ll go again. 2015 was my year, 2016 is also my year. Every year is my f*****’ year.”
Dos Anjos then understandably referenced the step up in size in moving to lightweight, to which McGregor replied that he was already the bigger man:
“He’s 5-foot-8 with a 70-inch reach; I’m 5-foot-9 with a 74—inch reach. I’m the bigger man here. I’m gonna bully this man in his own division.”
Noticeably miffed at McGregor’s nonstop interruptions but keeping his cool, dos Anjos countered with a forceful retort of few words:
“You done? Speak. You’re nothing.”
McGregor may be taking on a tough challenge in dos Anjos, but considering he’s done everything he claimed he would in the UFC, it’s also hard to argue with the bold Irish champion. So while ‘RDA’ said he would drag out his beating of McGregor despite being able to finish the fight in the first round, it was Conor that boasted the opposite, saying he would knock the Brazilian out like he has so many other combatants:
“It will be another KO,” McGregor said. “I’d love to beat the ugly out of him and drag him into the second and third rounds. I would love to do that. But I feel like I’m gonna dust him in under one minute.”
So 2016’s biggest fight (so far) is set, and the war of words has already begun. No one can defeat McGregor in a smack talk battle; will dos Anjos defeat him inside the Octagon?
