A key lightweight contender fight has been added to the promotion’s numbered event this October.
At UFC 267, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and surging Khabib Nurmagomedov protege Islam Makhachev will collide. The Oct. 30 event is expected to take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and air on an ESPN network, possibly ABC.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN was first to report the booking Tuesday.
Even before his win over Thiago Moises at UFC on ESPN 26, Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) tossed out the idea a matchup against dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 19-13 UFC) was likely on the horizon.
The two fighters have been paired up twice before, with bout of the scheduled bouts falling through, with each fighter responsible for one pullout.
First, dos Anjos withdrew from a UFC 254 matchup in October 2020 due to a positive COVID-19 test. Then, Makhachev suffered an injury/illness and withdrew from their Nov. 14 rebooking.
Entering the third attempt to make the fight a reality, Makhachev rides an eight-fight winning streak including a submission win in his first promotional main event against Moises. As for dos Anjos, he split his last four. He won his most recent outing against Paul Felder via split decision.
With the addition, the UFC 267 lineup includes:
- Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for light heavyweight title
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
- Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
