Rafael dos Anjos is happy that Islam Makhachev must fight another bout before getting a title shot.
Rafael dos Anjos is coming off a big win this past weekend at UFC 272. Although his road to get there was a bit rocky, dos Anjos is now on a two-fight winning streak and making his way back up the rankings. His original opponent Rafael Fiziev was forced out of the bout last minute, and Renato Moicano stood in on short notice.
However, there was another man who dos Anjos was looking for. He was hoping Islam Makhachev would step in.
Makhachev last fought two weekends ago at UFC Vegas 49. He was toying with the idea of stepping on on a one-week turnaround to face dos Anjos, but in the end, he did not. Makhachev also lost his original opponent for his fight last minute but still walked away with the win.
Now, according to Dana White, it seems that Makhachev will have to fight one more time before receiving a title shot, much to dos Anjos’ satisfaction.
“That’s the price (Makhachev) pays for playing politics, playing these little games,” he told The MMA Hour via The Score. “He had his title shot secured, now he’s going to fight another one.”
Makhachev’s original opponent was Beneil Dariush. A win over him would have all but sealed a title shot. However, the win over Bobby Green may not hold as much weight. dos Anjos believes Makhachev’s offer to step in was not genuine and that he exposed this when he accepted Makhachev’s condition for the fight to take place at 170.
“I called his bluff,” he said. “I think that’s what it was. His team probably thought that I wouldn’t take this fight at 170. But you know what? I was training, I didn’t want to waste a whole fight camp, I hadn’t fought for 16 months. I just wanted to go there and fight someone.”
dos Anjos and Makhachev have been booked to fight one another on multiple occasions now. It seems that UFC 272 may have been the final chance to get it done, as they now appear to be on different courses.
Do you think Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev will fight each other one day?
