Ali Abdelaziz reveals the two lightweights who might face Islam Makhachev after Rafael dos Anjos' withdrawal
Ali Abdelaziz is seemingly lobbying to get Islam Makhachev booked against either Tony Ferguson or Dan Hooker. Makhachev was scheduled to face Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 on October 30th, 2021. But RDA pulled out of their fight due to an injury. Resultantly, Islam Makhachev has been left without an opponent for UFC 267.
Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz spoke to MMA Junkie’s John Morgan regarding the situation. As reported by Morgan, Abdelaziz suggested that only Tony Ferguson or Dan Hooker could be brought in to fight Makhachev at UFC 267. The promotion is said to be working on finding an opponent for Makhachev for the upcoming pay-per-view.
Spoke with @AliAbdelaziz00, who confirmed Islam Makhachev is in need of a new opponent for #UFC267.
Ali said the UFC is working on it, but he personally believes Tony Ferguson and Dan Hooker are the only two viable options at the moment in terms of ranking and readiness. twitter.com/RdosAnjosMMA/s…
The matchup between Islam Makhachev and former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was first booked to take place at UFC 254 in October 2020. However, RDA contracted COVID-19 and had to withdraw.
The fight was rescheduled to take place at UFC Fight Night 182 in November 2020. This booking fell apart as well. Makhachev had to pull out of the fight due to a staph infection.
The UFC booked the Makhachev-RDA matchup for the third time for UFC 267 in October 2021. Nevertheless, as indicated by Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos’ Twitter exchanges and John Morgan’s report, RDA has now withdrawn from the fight.
With Rafael dos Anjos out, could Islam Makhachev fight ‘El Cucuy’ or ‘The Hangman’?
A win over a revered former UFC lightweight champion like Rafael dos Anjos would've likely earned Islam Makhachev a shot at the UFC lightweight title. But with RDA out of their UFC 267 showdown, Makhachev needs a notable opponent to replace the Brazilian.
On that note, beating former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson or a high-ranking UFC lightweight Dan Hooker could surely help Islam Makhachev catapult himself into title contention.
Tony Ferguson is currently on a three-fight losing streak. His most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss against Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 in May 2021.
Meanwhile, Dan Hooker has broken his two-fight losing streak and returned to the win column. The Kiwi's most recent fight was a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 on Saturday, September 25th, 2021.
Presently, it's unclear whether the UFC will bring in Ferguson or Hooker to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.