Rafael dos Anjos’ luck has gone from bad to worse as the previous UFC lightweight champion is now faced with perhaps the largest hurdle of his profession.
The 40-year-old sustained an alarming leg injury during his showdown with seasoned operator Goeff Neal at UFC 308 last Saturday.
After identifying the welterweight’s discomfort, referee Mark Smith swiftly halted proceedings within the opening round, allowing Rafael dos Anjos to get the medical attention he needed.
Since then, the MMA veteran has expressed an interest in remaining in the game but, following an update on his injury, may now need to reconsider a possible retirement plan.
Rafael dos Anjos reveals that he’ll undergo leg surgery following his devastating defeat to Goeff Neal
Dos Anjos’ third defeat in a row arrived on the undercard of Ilia Topuria’s ruthless third-round stoppage over Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to that, he had suffered unanimous decision losses to each Mateusz Gamrot and Vicente Luque, seemingly struggling to search out the remnants of his prime years.
And yet, the once formidable lightweight king continues to chug along at 165 lbs, despite being a far cry from the upper echelons of his division.
Dos Anjos, in fact, beat Anthony Pettis for his trinket back in 2015, before defending the prize with an emphatic first-round finish against MMA legend Donald Cerrone.
But now, the Brazilian is compelled to withstand the jaws of retirement after revealing that the damage he sustained against Neal was, in truth, an ACL injury.
There may be hope for Dos Anjos yet, though, as several UFC fighters previously, including decorated champions Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey, have bounced back from similar injuries.
Nevertheless, at this late stage in his profession, it’s difficult to check a route back to the highest for Dos Anjos.
On his Instagram story, he said: “My ACL is gone guys, going under the knife on the following couple of days. God’s plan.”
Rafael dos Anjos is ready to reconsider UFC profession following ACL injury update
In fairness to Dos Anjos, a defeat to tenth-ranked UFC welterweight contender Neal is actually salvageable.
But still, he could also be forced to place any title aspirations to bed and, as a substitute, concentrate on being a solid gatekeeper for the up-and-coming talents.
And so, despite teasing the concept of resuming his profession, Dos Anjos may now need to make a difficult decision on what shall be best for his legacy and, more importantly, his health.
Related Posts
