5 retirement fights for Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael dos Anjos suffered a KO loss to Rafael Fiziev in the fifth round of their lightweight main event last weekend. dos Anjos appeared to be attempting to make one last run at the lightweight title, but those hopes were likely extinguished after the loss.
Rafael Fiziev knocks out former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in round five #UFCVegas58 https://t.co/Ax09kuJEat
dos Anjos is a former UFC lightweight champion that previously fought for the interim welterweight title. He has competed against some of the sport's biggest names, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz and Kamaru Usman. However, his future is now unclear, as he is likely approaching the end of his career at 37 years old.
Another title run looks increasingly unlikely, but dos Anjos is clearly still competing at a high level, foreshadowing that he may look to one last retirement fight.
Here are five potential retirement fights for Rafael dos Anjos.
#5. Rafael dos Anjos vs. Damir Ismagulov
While Rafael dos Anjos is unlikely to make another run at the title, he remains a highly-ranked contender, sitting at No.8 in the 155 pound division. In this stacked weight class, there will be a number of fighters looking to improve their ranking by taking on the former champ.
The most recent addition to the lightweight rankings is Damir Ismagulov, who is ranked No.15 after a controversial split decision win at UFC Austin. Although his last fight against Guram Kutateladze was very close, Ismagulov has now won 19 fights in a row and is clearly ready for a big test next time out.
Jalin Turner and Damir Ismagulov knock Brad Riddell and CDF out of the top 15 lightweight rankings https://t.co/iajUu8eLTF
This fight would be a good way to test Ismagulov and raise his profile. As for RDA, it would provide him with a challenging, yet very winnable, matchup to close his career.