Dana White: Tyron Woodley vs. Rafael dos Anjos is ‘the fight to make'

It looks like Rafael dos Anjos is going to get the next crack at welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

UFC president Dana White revealed on Sunday night following his promotion's first card of 2018 that he anticipates dos Anjos facing Woodley later this year, once the reigning champion has recovered from shoulder surgery.

Woodley went under the knife recently to repair damage to his shoulder, but said that he still expected to be back in action during the first quarter of 2018. Now it appears the UFC has locked down his opponent when he's steps back into the Octagon.

“As soon as he’s healthy, obviously, RDA [Rafael dos Anjos] is the fight to make, especially the way he looked in the Robbie Lawler fight,” White said on the post fight show. “We’re just waiting for Tyron to get healthy.”

Dos Anjos defeated Lawler this past December by unanimous decision to move his record to a perfect 3-0 since switching from lightweight to the welterweight division.

Dos Anjos has been lobbying hard ever since for his chance to face Woodley with No. 3 ranked Colby Covington doing the same in an attempt to get his shot at the title.

Now it appears Covington may have to wait, while the UFC seems set on the Woodley vs. Dos Anjos match-up later this year.