Rafael dos Anjos wants to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 and get the rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov

Rafael dos Anjos says he wants to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 and then get the rematch with his teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov fought back in 2014, with Nurmagomedov winning the fight via unanimous decision. However, in a twist of fate, Nurmagomedov suffered an injury following that fight, and dos Anjos actually got the chance to fight for the UFC lightweight belt before him, defeating Anthony Pettis to take home the title in 2015. Dos Anjos would lose the belt in 2016 to Eddie Alvarez, and Nurmagomedov finally claimed it himself in 2018 when he defeated Al Iaquinta. Although Nurmagomedov is now retired from MMA, dos Anjos still wants this rematch one day in order to avenge his earlier career defeat.

Of course, dos Anjos is currently ranked in the top-10 at 155lbs and looking to get a title shot against current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. But in order to get there, he knows that he will likely have to fight Makhachev, who is one of the hottest fighters in the division right now with eight straight wins. Dos Anjos and Makhachev were supposed to fight last year but the match never ended up taking place, but the Brazilian is still holding out hope that the UFC will be able to book him against his rival for some time later in 2021.

Taking to his social media, dos Anjos made a joking tweet suggesting that the UFC has offered him a five-round five for UFC 267 and then getting the chance to fight Nurmagomedov afterward. While the part about RDA fighting Makhachev at UFC 267 is certainly believable, the Nurmagomedov aspect clearly indicates the tweet was a joke. Still, RDA vs. Makhachev makes a ton of sense, and there is certainly a chance this is next.

I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that.

— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) July 22, 2021

I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that.

Do you think Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev is the fight to make?