Dos Anjos eager to prove he is not washed-up against Edwards

SuperSport viewers will be in for a thrilling weekend of mixed martial arts action with UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos v Leon Edwards from the AT&T Centre in San Antonio, Texas taking place in the early hours of Sunday.

The headline bout for the event, which you can see live on SuperSport 11 from 3:00am, is a Welterweight battle between Rafael dos Anjos (29-11-0) and Leon Edwards (17-3-0).

Dos Ajos, 34, hails from Brazil and is the No 4 ranked fighter in the weight division, as well as a former UFC Lightweight Champion. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert suffered back-to-back losses against Colby Covington (for the interim Welterweight Championship) and Kamaru Usman in 2018, but bounced back to form with a submission victory over Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night 152 in May this year.

Rafael dos Anjos will look to end Leon Edwards unbeaten streak when the two face off at #UFCSanAntonio

Edwards is yet to lose since his 2015 defeat to "The Nigerian Nightmare" Kamaru Usman. pic.twitter.com/koKgxrml7x

— SuperSport ???? (@SuperSportTV) July 19, 2019

Speaking ahead of the bout Dos Anjos has disregarded comments from Edwards that he is finished as a fighter.

"I know he’s trying to get a crack at that belt, crack at that title shot. But I’m on a mission, I know I have what it takes to beat him," said Dos Anjos. "It will be a good fight. I fight well against southpaw tall guys. I have a history. We’ll see."

"I’m glad he thinks I’m done, and I’m not going to be even close to giving him a good match. But different from him, I know he’s tough, and I prepared really well. I know I have a bigger arsenal then him. I’ve got my takedowns, my punches, my kicks, my ground game, my game on the bottom too."

Edwards, 27, is a Jamaican-British fighter who was once the Welterweight king in the British Association of MMA (BAMMA). The kick-boxing specialist is ranked number 12 in the UFC’s Welterweight division but making a strong case to be considered a title contender, having recorded seven straight wins in a streak which started in May 2016 and culminated in a split-decision victory over Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 147 in March this year.

Speaking ahead of the fight, Edwards says he does not feel threatened by Dos Anjos.

"He (Dos Anjos) has done OK. Coming up and being the smaller man, he’s been OK," said Edwards. "Once we get to the younger, hungrier guys, he always struggles. He struggles against bigger guys, against southpaws, that’s what I am.

"I feel like he’ll struggle against me again. I think they forced him into it and now he’ll pay. Now we’ll see who’s one of the best fighters in the world. This wasn’t his first option. Now he faces a young, hungry up and coming killer."

UFC fans will also be treated to the co-main event of the night, which is a heavyweight bout between the vastly experienced Russian Aleksei Oleinik (57-12-1) and American Walt Harris (12-7-0, 1 NC). Oleinik is looking to rebound from a TKO loss at the hands of Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 149 in April, while Harris is aiming to build on the momentum of his TKO win over Sergey Spivak at UFC Fight Night 151 in May.

SuperSport viewers will also be able to see the following fights on the main card: Greg Hardy (4-1-0) v Juan Adams (5-1-0) in the heavyweight division; lightweight battles featuring James Vick (13-3-0) v Dan Hooker (17-8-0) and Alexander Hernandez (10-2-0) v Francisco Trinaldo (23-6-0); while the main card opens with Andrei Arlovski (27-18-0, 2 NC) v Ben Rothwell (36-11-0).

MAIN CARD

Main event: Welterweight: Rafael dos Anjos (29-11-0) v Leon Edwards (17-3-0)

Co-main event: Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik (57-12-1) v Walt Harris (12-7-0, 1 NC)

Heavyweight: Greg Hardy (4-1-0) v Juan Adams (5-1-0)

Lightweight: James Vick (13-3-0) v Dan Hooker (17-8-0)

Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez (10-2-0) v Francisco Trinaldo (23-6-0)

Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski (27-18-0, 2 NC) v Ben Rothwell (36-11-0)