After Islam Makhachev Vaguely Rejects Khabib Nurmagomedov-Inspired Offer, Rafael dos Anjos Forcefully Accepts UFC Fight

Rafael dos Anjos, after suggesting a fight at Khabib Nurmagomedov ideated 165-pound division, agreed to fight the Dagestani MMA phenom Islam Makhachev in a welterweight bout.

As news of Kyrgyzstani lightweight sensation Rafael Fiziev pulling out of his UFC 272 co-headliner bout came out, a lot of fighters pitched in to replace him. However, the spotlight was just on one challenger- Islam Makhachev.

The Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé was quick to notice the opportunity and immediately called out the Brazilian veteran on Twitter, “170 ??? Let’s do it. We have unfinished business RDA @ufc @espnmma @bokamotoESPN @MMAjunkieJohn”

However, the ex-UFC champion wanted to fight him at a freshly conceptualized 165-pound weight class. But Makhachev bluntly refused and instead called it as just a way for ‘RDA’ to get out of the fight.

This did not sit well with the former champion and he swiftly agreed to take on Makhachev on his own terms, “@MAKHACHEVMMA 170lbs I’m in!! Let’s go!!! Don’t run!!”

UFC lined the former Khabib Nurmagomedov opponent thrice before to face Makhachev in the lightweight division. However, the bout could not be finalized because of various reasons. UFC 254 in 2020 was the first attempt, but the Brazilian tested positive for Covid-19.

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Then it was subsequently rescheduled for UFC Vegas 14 the following month, but Makhachev pulled out due to undisclosed reasons. They made another attempt at UFC 267 last year, but to no avail.

Rafael dos Anjos does not deem Islam Makhachev appropriate for a title shot

It appears that the Brazilian and Russian have some enmity going on between them, sensing the way they never fail to take shots at each other. This became pretty clear when dos Anjos clearly disagreed with the idea of giving Makhachev a title shot after his TKO victory over Bobby Green last fight night.

“I don’t think [Makhachev deserves a title shot], to be honest with you. He’s got a 10 [fight] win streak, but look at his résumé. He didn’t fight any top guys, any top contenders. He was supposed to fight Benny [Beneil Dariush] but unfortunately Benny got injured. So I don’t think so,” dos Anjos told Ariel Helwani (h/t MMA Fighting)

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