Cerrone: Steroid allegations meant to get 'a rise out of' dos Anjos

The steroid allegations Donald Cerrone leveled at Rafael dos Anjos were apparently spurred by the UFC lightweight champion's two-faced behavior at a recent event.

"Yeah, and I was cordial with him. Everything was fine, but then he made comments like he's going to beat my ass worse than anyone's beaten anyone's ass ever," Cerrone said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, according to MMAFighting.com's Luke Thomas. "Oh ok, now when I walk away you're going to start poking fun at me? Let's go.

"So, then I went and called him Frankenstein and I told him he does steroids," Cerrone added with a laugh. "It made me more upset that he was laughing and joking and cordial with me on the one hand. I was just like, 'Come on, man.'"

Cerrone and dos Anjos first met at UFC Fight Night 27 in 2013, with dos Anjos emerging victorious via unanimous decision. Since the loss, Cerrone has been on a tear, racking up eight consecutive wins, counting Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Myles Jury, and Benson Henderson among his high-profile scalps.

Dos Anjos' went on a bit of a run of his own, posting a 4-1 record and capturing the UFC lightweight title with a five-round drubbing of Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 back in March.

With a rematch set for UFC on FOX 17 in December, Cerrone admits his recent steroid comments weren't just motivated by dos Anjos two-faced nature, he also did it to creep his way under the champion's skin.

"I was just getting a rise out of him. That's all," Cerrone said. "I don't know. Maybe he's working hard and doing what he has to do. I was just pissing him off ... just screwing around."