Looking at the UFC’s official rankings, Saturday’s matchup between Rafael dos Anjos and Michael Chiesa at UFC on ESPN+ 24 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Dos Anjos (30-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) holds the No. 5 spot, while Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) doesn’t have a top-15 position.
So, why is this fight happening? The former UFC lightweight champion claims it’s because he’s embracing the old-school mentality of the sport, where factors such as rankings played far less of a role in matchmaking.
“I’m not too attached to the rankings anymore,” Dos Anjos told MMA Junkie at UFC on ESPN+ 24 open workouts Wednesday. “Back in the day everybody fought everybody, so we don’t have those. Michael is a guy who is coming off two good victories against Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez. He usually competes in lightweight, too, so he’s coming up a division. I’m happy to welcome him to the division.”
Dos Anjos is coming off a stretch of three losses in his past four fights. The common theme in all those defeats was an inability to overcome the size and grappling of opponents Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
Chiesa is a grapple-first type of fighter, as well, so dos Anjos doesn’t see much mystery in what’s coming his way. This time, though, he intends to stop it.
“It’s not surprising he’s going to try to tie me up and work his body lock like he always does in his fights,” dos Anjos said. “Of course, it’s a fight. It starts standing, so I’ve got to make sure I don’t get caught with any shots, open by eyes and see everything and bring my A-game. I think what he brings is good jiu-jitsu. He’s got some good submissions and I’ve just got to work hard on my defense, and my attacks as well, in case the fight goes to the ground I feel I’ll be pretty covered.”
UFC on ESPN+ 24, which takes place at PNC Arena and streams on ESPN+, will snap a streak of five consecutive main events for dos Anjos. He hasn’t been scheduled for a three-rounder since September 2017, when he scored a first-round finish of Neil Magny at UFC 215.
A similar performance would be big for dos Anjos, who said he’s looking to make 2020 a memorable year.
“2020 is going to be a great year for me,” dos Anjos said. “I’m sure of it. I want to keep active. It’s good to be fighting January. Start off the year with a great win this Saturday, and I’m looking to be active this year. More active. Do at least three fights.”
