UFC
Rafael dos Anjos thinks ref made just stoppage in Ben Henderson fight, not sure what's next in UFC's lightweight division
Aug 26, 2014 - 3:10:30 PM Rafael dos Anjos thinks ref made just stoppage in Ben Henderson fight, not sure what's next in UFC's lightweight division

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Rafael dos Anjos doesn't see any reason for controversy regarding his stoppage of Benson Henderson on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 49. In an interview with MMAFighting.com this week, dos Anjos said he feels "Big" John McCarthy did his job, and saved Henderson from further damage.

"MMA is unpredictable, but I was ready for any situation," dos Anjos said of the matchup. "I got in there ready to patiently fight five rounds against a guy that had never been knocked out before, but I would throw him everything I got at him. And he felt that hand."

"The referee is there to protect the fighter, and Big John stopped it on the right time," dos Anjos continued. "He's there to protect the fighter, and Ben Henderson would get hurt if he hadn't stopped the fight at that moment."

"He complained about it, but I told him inside the cage 'Man, you were out,' and he said 'okay, good job.' If he watches the fight against he'll see that Big John made the right call. I felt he was out."

Now that he's picked up a major win, dos Anjos has no idea what to expect in a division that's just log-jammed at the moment.

"I think it's hard to say right now," he said. "Cerrone will fight Alvarez, and we don't know who will win. I think that one of these guys [could be next], there are really no other option right now. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] is out with a knee injury, T.J. Grant hasn't fought in more than a year, so I don't see any other option besides the winner of Cerrone vs. Alvarez or Pettis vs. Melendez."

"I don't know if [Cerrone] would make sense. I beat Cerrone already, so I think he would have to face another one. This division is a mess... I just beat the No. 1 contender, but I don't know what's next for me."

Penick's Analysis: It really is hard to figure out where to put dos Anjos right now. He beat Cerrone, lost to Nurmagomedov, and with a lot of other fights booked right now there's just no clear next fight for him. T.J. Grant would be a sensible fight for this winter if Grant is ready to return by then, but that's not guaranteed at this point. If Grant is healthy enough to go by November or December, though, the UFC should consider that.