Rafael Dos Anjos claims that there is an agreement that Khabib Nurmagomedov will potentially return inside the octagon but on one condition. Many would assume that Khabib has retired for good but there is only one way and it is not an easy task to accomplish by any means.
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 (@RdosAnjosMMA) July 22, 2021
Rafael Dos Anjos said that an agreed fight against Islam Makhachev will take place on October 30. After Islam’s impressive win against Thiago Moises, Islam called out Rafael Dos Anjos for his next opponent. Both fighters were booked in the past but unfortunately never happened due to injuries.
Although Khabib might potentially return it might be near impossible task as he is facing one of the most promising future champions in the division. Islam Makhachev has that high level grappling similar to Khabib’s style, where even though you are aware of his game-plan there is just nothing you can do about it.
It is also worth knowing that Rafael Dos Anjos is not only looking to fight Khabib because of a massive payday but Khabib also beat him once in the past. Dos Anjos is looking to avenge his loss to Khabib. In most eyes, if you somehow beat Khabib, you are the lightweight champion already. Even McGregor is trying to avenge his loss to Khabib, which speaks highly of Khabib’s name.
Islam Makhachev also climbed the rankings, he is now number 5 ranked while Dos Anjos is currently at number 7. Even Dan Hooker called out Makhachev for a potential fight since a win over Makhachev is like a golden ticket to a top 5 rankings. It is ironic since most of them were avoiding Makhachev, but now the tables have turned.
