The fight between UFC lightweights Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos which was originally going to take place at UFC 254 now has been rescheduled for UFC Vegas 15 on November 14.
A highly-anticipated Lightweight bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev has been rebooked to go down at an upcoming UFC “Fight Night” event on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. The two talented 155-pounders were set to fight this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, at UFC 254 on Yas Island before “RDA” was forced out of the event after he tested positive for COVID-19. With the UFC unable to fight someone on short notice to face Makhachev, he was removed from the card altogether. This news was first reported by MMADNA.nl.
BREAKING
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev rescheduled for November 14th in Las Vegas.
It's unknown if this fight will be the headliner. #UFCVegas15 https://t.co/Ks7E5MBUbP pic.twitter.com/LUhlGnaIyH
— MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) October 20, 2020
Following the cancellation, Islam Makhachev experienced a period of frustration in finding a replacement for dos Anjos. At one point, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, offered Tony Ferguson $100,000 to accept the fight against Makhachev. Makhachev’s close friend and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov also said that should Michael Chandler step up and defeat Makhachev, he would consider Chandler to be the #1 contender for his lightweight championship. Ultimately, Makhachev was pulled from the event, and we now know that his next opponent is the same as before: former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos vs Makhachev is an intruguing matchup
Rafael Dos Anjos held the UFC lightweight title in 2015, winning it with a lopsided decision defeat of Anthony Pettis, and defending it with a 66-second blowout of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. After losing the title to Eddie Alvarez, and coming up short in a fight with Tony Ferguson thereafter, he hiked up to the welterweight division.
Since his move to welterweight back in June of 2017 – dos Anjos has scored a 4-4 promotional record, picking up wins over Tarec Saffiedine, Neil Magny, a former champion, Robbie Lawler, and Kevin Lee. In defeats, RDA dropped to Colby Covington, the current champion, Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, and Chiesa.
Islam Makhachev is currently on a six-fight win streak in the UFC’s Octagon after being knocked out by Adriano Martins in his second bout with the promotion. That stream is composed of wins over Chris Wade, Nik Lentz, Gleison Tibau, Kajan Johnson, Arman Tsarukyan, and Davi Ramos.
For the Dagestani fighter Makhachev, the wrestling ace looks to snap a fourteen-month hiatus from the active competition with his most recent appearance coming at UFC 242 in September of last year where he notched his six straight wins in a unanimous judging win over grappling standout, Davi Ramos. Makhachev is also a close friend and training partner of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is set to defend his title against Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254 this Saturday.
What do you guys think of the fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev?
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