Former UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor and pals attacked a bus full of UFC stars a few days before UFC 223, allegedly looking to get at UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Rafael Dos Anjos is facing Colby Covington for the vacant UFC Interim Welterweight Title at UFC 225 instead of at the originally reported UFC 224 event, but RDA believes the change was made due to the bus attack.
“I flew to New York to have that fight announced in Rio, but I think it was [switched] because of that Conor thing,” Dos Anjos said on The MMA Hour. “Like, after that incident with the bus and all of that, I think the UFC was kinda afraid. Colby’s been talking a lot of crap about Brazilians and if something happened there — if the security couldn’t hold one guy, how can they hold a Brazilian crowd [going] crazy because of the stuff that this guy’s been saying?”
There has been no word given by the UFC about the potential change in location for the bout, which was never officially announced for UFC 224.
RDA does wish the bout would’ve taken place in Brazil because he feels winning the belt there could have made for a good story.
“To have this fight in Rio would be a good story, especially getting the belt there, it would be really cool,” Dos Anjos said. “But, I think, the one thing, Rio, it’s not Sao Paulo. The crowds in Sao Paulo, it’s different than the crowds in Rio. Rio people are more savage.”
UFC 225 takes place on Saturday, June 9 from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois with Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
