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MMA

04th Mar 2019

Rafael dos Anjos claims UFC referee once smelled of alcohol during fight

RDA made the revelation after Cub Swanson suggested that referees should be drug tested

Darragh Murphy

Rafael dos Anjos has revealed that he once smelled alcohol on a UFC referee

The revelation came in response to Cub Swanson’s suggestion that referees should perhaps be drug tested following a weekend of questionable calls in the Octagon.

Dos Anjos would not name the official who smelled like alcohol but the Brazilian welterweight does not believe the referee is currently officiating in the UFC.

RDA currently doesn’t have a fight lined up, having most recently suffered back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former interim 170lbs champ Colby Covington.

With his 35th birthday approaching, Dos Anjos is now looking at fights that will either enhance his legacy or bank balance and the former UFC lightweight champion has identified former rival Conor McGregor as an opponent who would persuade him to drop back down to 155lbs.

“I see Conor showed some interest in fighting in Brazil and we were close twice to having that happen,” Dos Anjos told Helen Yee.

“We were supposed to fight in 2016 for the lightweight title and we were supposed to fight in Rio in May of last year so we got close twice.

“We’re both 3-2 in our last five fights in the UFC so if he wants to make the fight, I will drop to lightweight. Whatever he wants.”

The cut to lightweight was a brutal one for Dos Anjos and he passed out while trying to make the championship weight for his clash with Eddie Alvarez in 2016.

The next year, he decided to move up to welterweight, where he won his first three fights before coming unstuck on two occasions last year.

If given enough time to get down to 155lbs, RDA would be willing to make the trip down one more time for a red panty night with ‘The Notorious’.

“I’m at that stage of my career where I need fights that excite me. I have 39 fights and I’m 34 years old,” he added.

“I still have a lot on me but now I have to have some fights that excite me. I don’t want to fight regular guys just to drop to lightweight, kill myself and not have it be worth the money. It’s for my career. I have bills to pay and I have a family to take care of. It’s a tough business.

“A super-fight with Conor McGregor, for example, I think it would be worth the drop in weight.”