USA TODAY: Too easy to ignore UFC Fight Night 27's Rafael dos Anjos

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

In the lead-up to fights, one mixed martial artist often insists the other is utterly terrified of some aspect of his game — his striking, his takedowns, his submissions or some other facet — and as such will look to avoid them at all costs.

This typically prompts a swift, vicious rebuttal from the man in the opposite corner, who sputters with angry speculation of his own, and thus prefight hype sausage is made.

UFC lightweight Donald Cerrone (20-5-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) knows this, and he’s good at it. It should come as no surprise that when discussing his co-headlining bout against Rafael dos Anjos (19-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 27 event (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET), Cerrone said his Brazilian opponent would likely want no part of his high-pressure standup game.

“I think he’ll try to take me down,” Cerrone told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), before adding that while he suspects his wrestling was superior to dos Anjos’, “I know my striking is better.”

Here’s when dos Anjos is supposed to fire back with at least a little indignation at Cerrone’s hypothesis. Unfortunately, no one told him that.

“Hey, I have a good ground game,” dos Anjos said. “If the fight doesn’t go the way I want (on the feet), I’m going to try to put him down.”

If you’re looking for a hint as to why dos Anjos isn’t quite the fan favorite that Cerrone is, here’s a good place to start. The 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has amassed a four-fight winning streak in the UFC, but he’s done so with a quiet, workmanlike approach that makes vaulting himself into the top-contender conversation difficult. In short, he’s been too easy to ignore, what with his narrow decision victories and humble, gracious attitude.

“I’m not that guy who is (outspoken) outside of the cage,” dos Anjos said. “I do everything inside the cage.”

That’s fine in theory, but it can make for a tough slog in practice. The UFC is in the business of promoting fights, not simply having them. It tends to favor fighters who make that job easier, either by hyping up bouts in the news media or by destroying opponents so thoroughly that the highlights sell themselves.

Dos Anjos hasn’t excelled at either lately, but a fight with this walking sound bite in a cowboy hat is a chance to change all that.

Cerrone is ranked ahead of dos Anjos (No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA lightweight rankings, three spots ahead of dos Anjos), and he’s known for putting on thrilling, brutal performances whether in victory or defeat.

For dos Anjos, who is angling for a title shot in what is perhaps the UFC’s most talent-rich division, it’s a rare opportunity but a dangerous one.

A win against Cerrone might up his profile, but a loss could rearrange his future as well as his face. The way dos Anjos sees it, that’s a risk worth taking at this point in his career.

“The way I can show the fans that I deserve the title shot is to go there and hit him hard over and over again,” dos Anjos said. “I think that’s the best way.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 27, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.