Rafael dos Anjos cut vacation short after he accepted UFC on ESPN 4 headliner

Rafael dos Anjos plans to make it up to his son after his fight on Saturday night in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – Rafael dos Anjos was enjoying a relaxing family camping trip with his son when UFC president Dana White called to offer him the UFC on ESPN 4 headliner against Leon Edwards.

Less than 48 hours later, dos Anjos (29-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) and his son packed their bags early and headed 800 miles back home in the car, so the former champion could begin training.

“When Dana called me, I said, ‘Hey, Dana, let me digest,’” dos Anjos told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight media day Thursday. “I was on the campsite in the middle of nowhere. I said, ‘OK.’ And I told my boy, ‘Let’s drive back home.’ And then we drove 800 miles, and I started my fight camp.”

He added, “As long as I’m healthy and motivated. When I got this call, I was 800 miles away from home. I was in Utah camping with my son. … I was there for five days already. I still had two more nights. We had one more night, and we left. I got the call Friday, and I slept there Friday (and) Saturday. Then (we) drove back Sunday.”

While the departure was premature in comparison to their original plans, dos Anjos said his son understood what his father needed to do and handled it accordingly. As a result, “RDA” said another family vacation is already in the works for the end of the summer.

“He said, ‘Let’s go,’ because we had a good time,” dos Anjos said of his son. “We were already there for like five days. I explained to him I don’t put work in front of my family. My family comes first. I told him, ‘So, Dad is going to fight on July 20. I’m going to be busy now (during) fight camp. And after that, before (you’re) going to back to school, we’re going to do another nice, fun trip.’ So, he goes back to school in August or September, I think. So we’re still going to have time to have one more good break.”

As for a location for their upcoming trip, dos Anjos is eyeing his native land of Brazil – a place he has not leisured in over two years.

“Maybe we’ll go to Brazil,” dos Anjos said. “My last time there was March last year. But my family hasn’t been there in two years. I miss Brazil, too. Have a good time by the beach, eat some Brazilian food.”

Saturday night, dos Anjos will face off against rising contender Leon Edwards (17-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 4 headliner at AT&T Center. The main card and prelims will air live on ESPN.

For more on UFC on ESPN 4, check out the UFC schedule.