[UPDATE]
Ali Abdelaziz, manager of both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, denies that Makhachev has agreed to fight dos Anjos as of yet. Makhachev would prefer to fight again in December but has not made a final decision. As for Khabib, there isn’t a shred of truth of dos Anjos’ claim according to Abdelaziz. You can view Abdelaziz’s full statement below per MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin.
[ORIGINAL STORY BELOW]
Rafael dos Anjos claims to have been able to do what Dana White couldn’t: create a scenario where Khabib Nurmagomedov comes out of retirement.
Islam Makhachev has been calling for a fight against Rafael dos Anjos before, during, and after UFC Vegas 31’s fight week. Prior to becoming the #5-ranked lightweight himself, Makhachev was eager to get a top-ranked opponent in the division, with dos Anjos being among those at the very top of the list. The two had been booked to fight one another twice prior to their most recent bouts, but the fight fell apart on both occasions.
In March, dos Anjos presented both Khabib and Makhachev with a proposal: He would fight Islam Makhachev on the condition that Khabib would come out of retirement to give him a rematch of their 2014 bout. Nothing ever came from this proposal, but that has now changed according to dos Anjos.
“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 last competed last November in a victorious effort against Paul Felder in a bout that was originally slated to be against Islam Makhachev. Makhachev’s most recent bout was this previous weekend at UFC Vegas 31 in a win over Thiago Moisés.
Khabib Nurmagomedov holds a victory over Rafael dos Anjos from UFC on FOX: Werdum vs. Browne from 2014. The undefeated legend retired from competition after defeating Justin Gaethje last October and nothing has budged his stance on retirement…that is until now if dos Anjos is to be believed.
If true, this is obviously earth-shattering news on multiple fronts. You’ll have to keep it locked on MMANews.com for the latest updates on this developing story.
