Rafael dos Anjos was having a great fight against Renato Moicano in the co-main event of UFC 272. The Brazilian was seemingly landing everything and did a lot of damage to his opponent.
The commentators noticed that Rafael dos Anjos slowed down in the fifth round and believed it was out of respect for Renato Moicano after the fight wasn’t stopped. The former UFC lightweight champion explained exactly what happened.
“I was [surprised the fight wasn’t stopped],” dos Anjos said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I told my corner, after the doctor stepped in from the third to the fourth and the fourth to the fifth, they didn’t stop it in the third and I said, ‘They’re gonna stop it for sure.’ But they didn’t. My coaches told me, ‘Just walk around, eat some time, don’t need to take any risks right now. He’s probably gonna try to do some crazy stuff right now. You’re winning the fight already, don’t take any risks.’ But that’s something that I need to work on, because every time I try to not fight my fight, my style, which is going forward and throwing, I don’t fight well.”
There were some concerns as Rafael dos Anjos did absorb a big punch that hurt him in the eye. He knew that there was a risk of damage if he wasn’t careful in the fifth round at UFC 272.
“In that 30 seconds of the fight, I got caught on my eye,” dos Anjos said. “I got caught right inside my eyeball and it really hurt. That was the only punch that I really felt. I managed to finish the fight well, but, I just took my foot off the gas a little bit, knowing that I had the fight, but I got caught on the eye and he came with everything he got on the fifth.
“I’m not gonna say I took it easy on him in the fifth. I went, but I took my foot off the gas because I knew I was four rounds ahead and he’s a hard guy to finish, so my coach said don’t take any risks, just go there, eat some time, walk around, but that’s when I got caught. I think by taking my foot off the gas, he kind of recovered a little bit and felt more confident, that’s why he came forward and threw those shots.”
The fight at UFC 272 was a grim reminder that coaches don’t like to throw in the towel. Many felt Renato Moicano had absorbed a lot of damage and there was a very small chance he would be able to win.
“It drives me nuts because I see guys in boxing, all the time people throw the towel, stop the fight, and we don’t see that in MMA,” dos Anjos said.
“I think because of the small gloves, coaches think, ‘He’s gonna get a lucky punch and finish the fight,’ but I think we should see that more. I think coaches should be more aware, to know their fighters. They’re not reacting, they’re not connecting anything that really hurts the other guy, so let’s stop it because you’re killing your fighter. I think that’s something that the coaches in MMA should be more aware of.”
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