For a moment there, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos thought his chance to fight at UFC Vegas 14 might be gone. After his original opponent, Islam Makhachev, was forced out of their main event bout due to injuries, it seemed unlikely whether the UFC would be able to find a suitable replacement in time.
Enter the ‘Irish Dragon’.
Just five days shy of fight night, semi-retired lightweight and color-commentator Paul Felder seized the opportunity and stepped up to meet RDA in the Octagon. A ballsy move that – according to the former champion – didn’t just save his fight, but quite possibly the entire card, from cancellation.