Rafael dos Anjos is willing to fight Islam Makhachev but on one very specific and interesting condition.
In 2014, Rafael dos Anjos suffered a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov via a lopsided unanimous decision. Much has happened since this fight occurred. The following year, dos Anjos went on to capture the lightweight championship and would become one of the staples at the top of the division. Khabib Nurmagomedov would continue to dominate everyone else in the same fashion he did dos Anjos until he, too, eventually captured the lightweight title that he still reluctantly holds to this day.
Rafael dos Anjos wants to avenge his loss to Nurmagomedov from seven years ago while also reclaiming the lightweight championship in one swoop. Though RDA is currently ranked only at #7 in the division at the moment, he thinks he may have a way to skip the line, so to speak, and that is by taking on and defeating Khabib’s teammate and best friend Islam Makhachev.
“If your brother @TeamKhabib fight me after I beat you let’s do it,” RDA wrote to Makhachev.
This tweet was sent in response to Makhachev challenging Rafael dos Anjos to settle their unfinished business. A fight between the two was attempted to be put together on two separate occasions last year, but the fight fell apart both times.
Khabib Made The Same Proposal To Others In The Past
Rafael dos Anjos’ negotiation tactic may seem peculiar and like a strong-arm tactic, but he may have gotten the idea from Khabib Nurmagomedov himself. In the past, Nurmagomedov made the very same offer to Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler, stating that if they replaced RDA at UFC 254 and defeated Makhachev, that he would fight them. Now, dos Anjos himself is volunteering to cash in on the same offer Khabib extended to others, albeit those offers from the champion came before his decision to retire.
We’ll see if Khabib is willing to take RDA up on his offer and give Dana White a reason to immediately book this fight and shamelessly root for dos Anjos to defeat Makhachev and lure Nurmagomedov out of retirement.
What do you think of Rafael dos Anjos’ offer to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev?
