RAFAEL DOS ANJOS IS THE ONLY THING STANDING IN THE WAY OF CONOR MCGREGOR’S GOAL

Well it may not have been a 13 second destruction, but Rafael dos Anjos has solidified his position as the top lightweight in the world this past weekend at that final UFC event of the year. With forward pressure, crisp striking and some well placed strikes to the liver, dos Anjos was able to close the show on Donald Cerrone in the very first round. The loss snaps an eight fight winning streak for “Cowboy” and was also the fasted recorded finish in UFC lightweight title fight history. No matter how you look at it that has to sting a bit for Cerrone, but it’s pretty clear that Rafael dos Anjos is here to stay as the lightweight champion. With Conor McGregor boasting an impressive win of his own just a week earlier, it already seems that a clash between the dos Anjos and the brash Irishman could be on the horizon. For all the reasons why this would be an awesome contest I have to ask the obvious question here: would that really be the best idea? Now, if you consider the fact that Conor McGregor has officially become the UFC’s biggest star then getting “The Notorious” back in the cage would seem like a great business strategy. Seeing as he and dos Anjos took little damage in their title fights, it would be easy to suggest that the two would be ready to throw down sooner rather than later. The thing is, it’s probably a pretty horrible idea. Both men are new champions who have yet to truly solidify their reign. Both have potential to make impressive runs as champions in separate divisions. McGregor’s ability to sell a fight is uncanny and dos Anjos’ complete MMA game makes him a very scary opponent for any man who believes they’re up for the challenge. The thing is, if you put these two in a fight against one another at this stage of their careers the risk of ruining their brands is substantial. Whether Conor McGregor wins, which would change the game forever, or Rafael dos Anjos is victorious then you have to consider that whoever the loses will lose a ton of momentum. If McGregor loses the excuse would be that the shift up in weight was just too much. Even so, it would cheapen the Irishman’s status as a fighter and at this point of the game the UFC would likely want to milk the McGregor hype machine for as long a possible. If dos Anjos were to lose then it would put into question the abilities of the lightweight division as a whole. Even though that’s a bit of a stretch and would be grossly unwarranted, many people are quick to jump to conclusions, choosing to diminish rather than praise. Whatever the UFC decides to do next I’d advise they take things slow before coming to a decision. Right now they have two potential stars on their hands, albeit one more explosively popular than the other. It would best to groom both champions before making any rash decisions. This way, if a fight were to materialize down the road, you have two polished and dominant champions that could likely create some massive sales numbers. Do you think Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor should fight sooner rather than later? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter.