Khabib Nurmagomedov may insist he’s still retired, but that won’t stop Rafael dos Anjos from trying to lure him back to action.
Shortly after Nurmagomedov said he has no interest in running things back with either Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier, whom he both submitted, dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 19-11 UFC) is making his own case for a rematch.
The pair fought in April 2014 and Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) beat dos Anjos by unanimous decision. The undefeated UFC lightweight champion has only lost two rounds in his career and has never even been cut in a fight.
But in his pitch, dos Anjos made sure to remind Nurmagomedov of the guillotine choke he caught him in when they fought – and alluded to Nurmagomedov potentially tapping.
“Khabib said he is not interested in fighting Conor or Dustin as he choked both of them. He did not choke me. As a matter of fact I got him snoring until a slipping rib saved him from 😴. He beat me fair and square, but no one got closer to putting the Champ out. My plan was to beat his brother and go after that neck again. That plan felt apart for reasons beyond my control, but I will keep sharping my tools just in case he decides to come back and chooses me.”
Former UFC lightweight champ dos Anjos was scheduled to face Nurmagomedov’s good friend and training partner Islam Makhachev in his return to 155 pounds, but after Makhachev was forced to withdraw, he faced short-notice replacement Paul Felder in the UFC Fight Night 182 headliner instead.
Dos Anjos defeated Felder in a “Fight of the Night” effort, and after reentering the lightweight rankings, he has his sights set on recapturing the belt.
