Rafael dos Anjos responds to Islam Makhachev’s callout, willing to fight – with one condition

Rafael dos Anjos is happy to oblige to Islam Makhachev’s callout, but only if it leads to one thing.

Dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 19-11 UFC) and Makhachev have been on a collision course on multiple occasions, but the fight never has materialized. The pair were scheduled to face off at UFC 254, but a positive COVID-19 test forced dos Anjos to withdraw. They were then rebooked for UFC Fight Night 182, but it was Makhachev who was forced out due to injury. Dos Anjos ended up facing Paul Felder instead and beat “The Irish Dragon” in a “Fight of the Night” effort.

Makhachev (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) returned at UFC 259 this past Saturday and submitted Drew Dober to extend his winning streak to seven. He called out Tony Ferguson, but with Ferguson uninterested, he has pivoted his attention to a rebooking with dos Anjos.

While dos Anjos has his mind on higher-ranked opponents, he’s willing to face Makhachev under one condition: If he beats him, he gets to rematch UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dos Anjos has recently been campaigning for a rematch with Nurmagomedov. He lost a unanimous decision to “The Eagle” in 2014, but went on to win three straight en route to the lightweight title. The pair never ended up crossing paths again, but with Nurmagomedov’s protege on the rise, dos Anjos hopes a win over Makhachev could lure Nurmagomedov out of retirement.