Rafael dos Anjos confirms he agreed to fight a "top contender," rules out one rising UFC lightweight star
Rafael dos Anjos has confirmed that he has said yes to a fight with a "top contender." RDA took to his official Twitter account and seemingly ruled out fighting one rising UFC lightweight star, Islam Makhachev – a fighter he’d been booked against in the past.
Rafael dos Anjos’ tweets read as follows:
“Got a call couple days ago to fight a top contender on the division, I said yes, I’m waiting on the other side #ufc #July10th”
“??? Is this guy a top contender??”
Rafael dos Anjos revealed that he’s agreed to face the contender on July 10, which is the date when UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3 is scheduled to take place.
Dos Anjos refrained from revealing the name of the said top contender, but he did reply to a tweet wherein a Twitter user had suggested that the contender could be Islam Makhachev.
Responding to a Twitter user who indicated that Makhachev could be his next opponent, Dos Anjos asked whether the young Dagestani star should be considered a top contender.
In other words, Rafael dos Anjos insinuated that Islam Makhachev is not on his level. This apparent rivalry between Dos Anjos and Makhachev isn’t something out of the ordinary, however, as both fighters have taken jibes at one another on multiple occasions in the past.
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos moved up to the welterweight (170 pounds) division and spent a few years pursuing the UFC welterweight title
However, Dos Anjos decided to return to the lightweight (155 pounds) division last year, and Makhachev was booked to be his first fight back in the 155-pound division.
Dos Anjos was set to fight Makhachev at UFC 254 (October 2020). Regardless, the fight fell apart in early October after it was revealed that Dos Anjos had contracted COVID-19.
The fight was then rescheduled to headline UFC Vegas 14 (November 2020). As the event drew closer, Makhachev pulled out due to injury issues, and the fight was subsequently canceled altogether.
Rafael dos Anjos could face names such as Justin Gaethje or Dan Hooker
Rafael dos Anjos had previously emphasized that he’d only accept a fight against Islam Makhachev if beating him would guarantee a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
With Nurmagomedov having retired from the sport of MMA and time and again stating that he’s unlikely to ever return, Dos Anjos appears to be uninterested in fighting Makhachev.
Nevertheless, Dos Anjos has called out other top-tier UFC lightweights such as Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor as of late. While most UFC lightweights are currently booked for their upcoming fights, Justin Gaethje or Dan Hooker could end up as RDA’s next opponent.