Despite both men having fights scheduled against respective opponents, UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and former titleholder Anthony Pettis keep fueling their feud with verbal potshots on social media and in interviews. After Pettis claimed last week that he just had a bad day when he lost his belt to dos Anjos and that, “if that fight would have happened ten times, nine out of ten I would have beat him,” RDA has since responded to that statement.
“I think he watched a different fight than everybody else,” he told GNP1. “I just dominated him for five rounds. And I would say different. I would think, if I would fight him ten times, I would win ten times.
“Before the fight, he and his coach were saying he is in the best shape of his life and it was good for him to get another fight in a row, because he is still in shape; because he fought Melendez, I think, three months ago. Then he fought me. He and his coach said in many interviews, is’s good for him because he’s gonna keep in shape, you know? After the fight he said ‘it’s not helping him get another fight right away.’ It’s kinda confusing, you know? But I think if I fight him ten times, I would beat him ten times.”
Pettis is scheduled to face former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez in January, while dos Anjos defends his belt in a rematch against Donald Cerrone in December at UFC on FOX 17, who has been on a tear lately, but was beaten by dos Anjos two years ago.
“To do what he did, winning eight in a row, is not easy,” dos Anjos said of Cerrone. “But I think I got a good mindset, I think god has been preparing me for all the last years to the championship. Now I have the belt, now nobody can take this away from me. Now I’m mentally mature, I know my body very well and I know what I want. This belt means a lot for me. Not like he said, ‘he don’t give a s— for the belt.’ I do, it’s how I support my family.”
Dos Anjos feels he will hold the championship for a long time, and he doesn’t care who his next challenger will be after Cerrone.
“I don’t know, (Pettis) is one of the top guys of the division, he’s a former champion. But whatever. If he comes, (Conor) McGregor, Khabib (Nurmagomedov), who else comes, I will make sure to keep this belt.”
You can watch the whole interview above.