Rafael dos
Anjos claims multiple surgeries forced his long hiatus.
The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder returns
to the Octagon after nearly two years against Alexander
Hernandez at UFC 332 on
Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian suffered a
90-second stoppage loss after injuring his left knee in his last
outing against Geoff Neal in
October 2024.
Rafael dos Anjos details the knee surgeries that threatened his
UFC career
In a recent interview, dos Anjos revealed that he has since
undergone three surgeries on his left knee. A doctor in Brazil
initially stitched up his meniscus, which apparently was a big
mistake. He again tore his meniscus after a few months and
underwent surgery in Austin, Texas, in the U.S.
However, the American doctor allegedly left some stitches inside
dos Anjos' knee, which subsequently led to inflammation. The former
champ then went under the knife for the third time earlier this
year. He admits that the thought of hanging up his gloves has
crossed his mind in the meantime. However, the 41-year-old notes
that he hasn't been dominated in his losses and wants to give it
one more shot.
“I had three surgeries back-to-back,†dos Anjos told Ariel Helwani.
“After the Geoff Neal
fight, I had meniscus surgery, and the doctor in Brazil made a
mistake. He actually tried to stitch up my meniscus, which was a
terrible mistake. Four or five months after the surgery, my
meniscus tore again, so I had to redo it. I had to have the
meniscus removed, and the doctor in Austin, Texas, left a couple of
stitches inside my knee, believe it or not. It was causing
inflammation. I couldn't get full extension, and then I had surgery
for the third time at the beginning of this year. For a second, I
thought, ‘Man, this is it.' But looking at my results, I'm coming
from losses, but I haven't been dominated. I want to give it a
chance. I still have four more fights on my contract.â€
Now healthy, dos Anjos (32-17) will look to rebound from a
three-fight skid against Hernandez (18-9), who is coming off a loss
against Rafa Garcia
that snapped a four-fight winning streak.