Islam Makhachev calls out Rafael dos Anjos after dominant win over Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31
Russian star Islam Makhachev is on a roll as he beat Thiago Moises via submission after dominating him for four rounds. This win takes his incredible winning streak to eight in the UFC, with his last loss coming against Adriano Martins in 2015.
Makhachev called out former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos in the post-fight interview. RDA is ranked number six in the official UFC rankings for the lightweight division, while Makhachev was ranked number nine before his win. This fight will get the Dagestani star closer to the title shot he desires.
His win over Moises was a continuation of several impressive performances where he has completely nullified the offense of his opponents. He is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC and has trained with the former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov ever since they were kids.
The similarities are out there for everyone to see as Makhachev uses his elite-level wrestling to end fights whenever he wants, and his ground game has helped him win nine fights via submission. His current record stands at 20-1, and he'll look to build on it against Rafael dos Anjos.
On the other hand, RDA was fighting at welterweight and found very little success there. He moved back to lightweight after losing two fights in a row to Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa. However, his last fight against Paul Felder was one for the ages as he won their five-round war to cement himself as one of the greats in the lightweight division.
Also read: Statistics show that Islam Makhachev is the hardest to hit fighter in UFC history by a long margin
Islam Makhachev vs. Rafael dos Anjos: The tale of the tape
While the fight hasn't been confirmed yet, fans of Islam Makhachev would love to see him make the step up to fight RDA.
RDA is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, similar to Islam Makhachev's last opponent Moises. However, RDA is a southpaw, and this would provide some complications for the Russian fighter.
However, the Dagestani is the younger fighter by a huge margin and is on an incredible run of form. Now it's up to Rafael dos Anjos to accept Islam Makhachev's call out and help turn this fight into reality.
Also Read: UFC Vegas 31: Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises full card results and video highlights