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“Let’s Finish Our Business”- Islam Makhachev Eyes Matchup With Rafael Dos Anjos Following an Impressive Win Over Paul Felder

Published 11/15/2020, 5:42 AM EST

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Rafael dos Anjos and Paul Felder delivered one of the best lightweight fights ever at UFC Vegas 14. The two men laid it all out in the Octagon and won the respect of the fans and fellow fighters alike. A rejuvenated ‘RDA’ was impressive on his return to the division where he captured gold. 

Islam Makhachev watched from the sidelines as Paul Felder snapped up the opportunity to fight a former champion in dos Anjos. Makhachev was supposed to fight ‘RDA’; however, he pulled out of the fight due to injuries. Makhachev is currently ranked at #12 in the division and is heralded by Khabib Nurmagomedov as the future champion of the division. 

Read: “Me and Conor McGregor”- Rafael dos Anjos calls out Conor McGregor for UFC lightweight fight 

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Islam Makhachev eyeing a fight against Rafael dos Anjos despite being canceled twice

Islam Makhachev took to Twitter to appreciate the efforts put in by Dos Anjos. He Tweeted, “Great fight (Rafael dos Anjos) congrats!  Let’s finish our business in nearest future”

Following his loss to consecutive losses to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson, ‘RDA’ decided to move up to 170 pounds. At welterweight, he was split in wins and losses with four apiece. 

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His last two fights at 170 pounds were unanimous decision losses to Michael Chiesa and Leon Edwards. Subsequently, he moved back down to 155-pounds. 

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‘RDA’ accepted a fight against Paul Felder on short notice. He looked extremely good tonight as he secured a split decision win. In the fight Dos Anjos landed 155 total strikes with an accuracy of 67%. He also landed 92 significant strikes with an impressive accuracy of 57%. 

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The Brazilian fighter resorted to his wrestling and grappling skills to overcome ‘The Irish Dragon’. In the post-fight interview, however, RDA’ mentioned he would like to fight Conor McGregor soon. 

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The Dagestani fighter, however, would be an excellent challenge for ‘RDA’ to further cement his place by securing a win over a highly touted fighter. On the other hand, for Makhachev, a win over a former champion would shift the perception of him from a “prospect” to a contender. 

Would you like to see a fight between Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos? Or do you think Makhachev should be challenge someone else? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Written by:

Kevin Binoy

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Kevin Binoy is an MMA author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA writing team, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories.
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