MEXICO CITY -- UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos' recovery from a partially torn MCL in his right knee is going -- slowly.

Dos Anjos (24-7) is three months removed from a dominant win over Anthony Pettis of the 155-pound title. The 30-year-old entered that fight with a pre-existing injury, which continues to keep him sidelined.

He avoided having surgery after that win in March, preferring to rehab the injury. Three months in, dos Anjos concedes he's growing somewhat anxious about that process.

"The doctor told me three to four months off and I'd be 100 percent again," dos Anjos told ESPN.com. "It's going to be three months next weekend, and the only thing I can do right now is ride a bike. It's kind of boring, but it's part of the rehab. I do it every day for 30 minutes. I feel improvement, but nothing that big. The doctor told me it would take time, so I'm trying to be patient."

The UFC already has confirmed Donald Cerrone (28-6) will represent the first threat to dos Anjos' belt, once the champ is healthy. Dos Anjos remains confident the fight will happen by the end of the year.

"This fight will happen by November or December," Dos Anjos said. "Hopefully."

Dos Anjos is already familiar with Cerrone's fighting style, having beaten him via unanimous decision in August 2013. All three judges scored that three-round fight for dos Anjos, 29-28.

In the first round, dos Anjos briefly dropped Cerrone with a right hand. Cerrone recovered quickly from the punch, but dos Anjos recalls thinking Cerrone wasn't the same afterward.

"In the beginning of the fight, I hit him with a left and right hook and he fell," dos Anjos said. "He just fell and got back up, but I think I broke his mind a little bit in that first round. I'll make sure I'm going to do the same kind of thing this time -- the same kind of pressure."

When asked whether anything is different in Cerrone from two years ago, dos Anjos didn't think so from a technical perspective. Cerrone, however, has won eight in a row since that loss to dos Anjos, which does make a difference mentally in the champion's opinion.

"I think when you have confidence, everything changes," dos Anjos said. "But man, I have confidence, too. After my last performance, I just feel it's my time. I feel this belt will remain with me for a long time."

Cerrone was scheduled to fight undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov last month, but that bout fell through because of a knee injury to Nurmagomedov. Cerrone went on to defeat unranked John Makdessi via TKO.

Although Cerrone didn't have a chance to fight Nurmagomedov, dos Anjos said he believes 'Cowboy' is a worthy title challenger at 155 pounds.

"Nobody has done [what Cerrone has]," dos Anjos said. "It's not easy to compete at a high level and win seven or eight in a row -- especially in the lightweight division. I think he deserves the shot."