UFC Fight Night 98's Tony Ferguson: 'I see quit' in Rafael dos Anjos

MEXICO CITY – While Rafael dos Anjos may have once held the UFC lightweight title, UFC Fight Night 98 opponent Tony Ferguson isn’t exactly impressed. In fact, Ferguson isn’t sure the former champ has enough heart to compete at the sport’s highest level.

“I see quit,” Ferguson told MMAjunkie.

Ferguson (21-3 MMA, 11-1 UFC) and dos Anjos (25-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC) meet in the headlining bout of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 98 event, which takes place at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City and airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

It’s a big fight at 155 pounds, with dos Anjos currently ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, and Ferguson checking in just behind at No. 4.

Ferguson comes in as the hot hand, boasting eight consecutive victories. Meanwhile, dos Anjos looks to rebound from a one-sided loss to Eddie Alvarez in July that saw the Brazilian hand over his title.

While Alvarez downed dos Anjos in the first round, Ferguson said it’s not just that defeat that has him questioning his opponent’s will.

“I’ve seen him quit in his video,” Ferguson said. “I’ve seen when he fought a couple of people, and I saw him go in the corner frustrated – and I do that to every fighter I fight. (Edson) Barboza, (Josh) Thomson, those are the two best fights that I’ve ever had because they gave me what I wanted, which was a fight.”

Both men know what’s on the line in the fight. Just seven days after UFC Fight Night 98, current lightweight champ Alvarez (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) puts his title on the line against featherweight champ Conor McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 205. On the same blockbuster lineup, No. 2-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov (23-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets No. 11 Michael Johnson (17-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC).

The title picture could have a completely new look in short order, but “El Cucuy” has to prove victorious at UFC Fight Night 98 to take part in the discussions.

He doesn’t seem to see that as a problem.

“He’s going to try and hit me with some knees and some other stuff,” Ferguson said. “I do hard body conditioning, baby. You hit me with everything that you’ve got, and you give me the fight that I want. You better bring that (expletive) ‘RDA.’

“I see it going down in a finish, whether knockout or submission. I’m going to aim for bloody.”

To hear more from Ferguson, including how he approached training vastly different than ever before, what he thinks of fighting in Mexico, and why he sees continued success for himself in multiple divisions, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.