Rafael dos Anjos calls for the UFC remove him from the lightweight rankings, requests July return

Former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos has asked for the promotion to remove him from the lightweight rankings.

For many years now, Rafael dos Anjos has been seen as a respected veteran in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’s fought against the best of the best, and he’s always willing to take on a tough challenge. Alas, in recent times, he hasn’t been that successful in terms of results.

In his last two fights, he’s come up on the losing end in defeats to Vicente Luque and Mateusz Gamrot. His last victory came against Bryan Barberena in December 2022.

RELATED: UFC 299 Results: Mateusz Gamrot defeats Rafael dos Anjos (Highlights)

In terms of his future, nothing has been decided – but in a recent tweet, the 39-year-old provided an update on what he wants to do next.

Get me out of LW rankings. For you LW out there calling me out I don’t compete at LW now on. I have nothing to prove to nobody, I walk around 195 at 39 years old. There’s lots of fights that make sense to me at 170.
I want to fight in July @ufc get me back in that octagon.

— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) May 15, 2024

dos Anjos’ desire

“Get me out of LW rankings. For you LW out there calling me out I don’t compete at LW now on. I have nothing to prove to nobody, I walk around 195 at 39 years old. There’s lots of fights that make sense to me at 170. I want to fight in July @ufc get me back in that octagon.”

It certainly makes sense for RDA to be at welterweight at this stage of his career. In equal measure, it seems like he’s struggling to get a fight in the diary. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to see him back in the Octagon by the summer. After all, there are plenty of fighters out there who would love to take on a legend like him.

What do you believe should be next for Rafael dos Anjos? What is your favorite memory from throughout his legendary career? Will he ever come close to fighting for a world title again? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!