RAFAEL DOS ANJOS will be on the sidelines for three-to-four weeks as a result of the injury which has ruled him out of Saturday week’s clash with Conor McGregor.
That’s according to a statement from his wife Cristiane, who explained that the UFC lightweight champion sustained a fracture in the fifth metatarsal — the bone in the foot which connects to the baby toe, in layman’s terms — in his left foot during his final sparring session ahead of the fight last Friday.
Dos Anjos was due to put the UFC’s 155lbs belt on the line at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on 5 March against McGregor, who will now face Nate Diaz in a welterweight main event instead.
“Yesterday we confirmed on an x-ray why he can’t walk at all. We have to wait four weeks from now to recovery. It will be just a break, a month is not too much time,” said Cristiane dos Anjos.
Rafael dos Anjos posted a picture of his injured foot on social media this morning, adding: “Sorry to all my real fans and UFC. I have had 32 professional fights in my career and I never cancelled any fight due to injuries, but it is a contact sport and injuries happen. I believe God knows everything and he has better plans for me.”
Rafael Cordeiro, dos Anjos’ coach at Kings MMA in California, told MMAFighting.com that the injury happened when dos Anjos threw a kick which connected with his sparring partner’s knee.
“We are upset. Everybody waited for this fight. The entire team is backing Rafael in this decision. Rafael’s health is what matters the most for us now. But that’s a fight we wanted, for sure,” Cordeiro said.
“We know that Rafael has what it takes to beat [McGregor]. This fight will absolutely happen, and Rafael will prove in there that he’s the best at 155 pounds.”
