Dos Anjos 'not even a little impressed' by Nurmagomedov's last win
Rafael dos Anjos thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov has a lot more work to do before they fight again.
In their first meeting two years ago, Nurmagomedov won via a convincing unanimous decision. Dos Anjos went on to become the current UFC lightweight champion, while circumstances weren't so kind to Nurmagomedov.
The 27-year-old only recently returned from a series of injuries to defeat late-notice replacement Darrell Horcher at UFC on FOX 19. "The Eagle" won by TKO in the second round, which didn't mean much to Dos Anjos given the fact that Horcher was a complete unknown before being brought in to take the place of an injured Tony Ferguson.
"I was not even a little impressed," Dos Anjos told MMA Fighting. "He fought a guy who has a full-time job and took the fight on a week’s notice. After the first minute, with all due respect, (Horcher) looked pink, completely out of shape, and (Khabib) still needed almost two rounds to finish the fight.
"Congratulations to the opponent that accepted the fight, but there's no way ... When I lost to Khabib, I was ranked No. 5 or 6 and many things have changed since. He beat a guy who has a full-time job, and I beat Jason High, Ben Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, and Donald Cerrone."
Dos Anjos was initially open to a Nurmagomedov rematch at UFC 200 in July, but Nurmagomedov's observance of Ramadan prevented him from taking the booking. Now Dos Anjos wants to see Nurmagomedov earn a title shot with a win over a more credible opponent.
If he does fight Nurmagomedov again, Dos Anjos is certain the result won't be the same.
"I was a different fighter back then," Dos Anjos said. "I've done wrong things with my diet and my personal life, and I wasn't 100 percent focused in the fight. It would be a completely different fight now.
"Take a look at my results and his results. It would be completely different. Two years have passed, the game has changed, and he needs better results."
Up next for Dos Anjos is a title defense against No. 2-ranked Eddie Alvarez at UFC Fight Night 90 on July 7 in Las Vegas.