Editorial: Rafael dos Anjos’ next fight should be for the title

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC UFC Vegas 14 was surrounded by uncertainty. Between Islam Makhachev’s staph infection, how Paul Felder would look after semi-retiring, and whether the drop back down to lightweight might affect Rafael dos Anjos — there was a lot going on for such an underwhelming card on paper. Except who has ever been a more certain fight commodity than dos Anjos?

There was never any doubt both men could put on a show. The question was always about whether fans would get the best versions of both men. And boy did they deliver. Felder seemed to do things he’s sometimes criticized for, initiating more in the pocket, and forcing exchanges instead of trying to bait out counters…