Rafael dos Anjos ready to defend belt
If you thought Rafael Dos Anjos was good before, he wants you to see him after he got to take nine months away from the sport of mixed martial arts.
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos says he’s fresh and ready to defend his belt.
To some fighters, a long layoff like that feels like a death sentence. For the UFC lightweight champion, who makes his first title defense against Donald Cerrone on Saturday in Orlando, it was just what he needed.
No, he didn’t need the knee injury that forced him to the sidelines after his title-winning effort against Anthony Pettis in March, but along with healing his knee, he got to refresh the rest of his body and his mind.
It was good for me, but I’m a very active guy, he said. I always like to be training, so it was kind of hard. And actually, I didn’t have a break because I had physical therapy twice a day for my knee and I was really dedicated to that, trying to get better. Some people think we’re just sitting home, watching TV all day…