Dos Anjos out of Makhachev fight at UFC 267 due to injury
Rafael dos Anjos is out of his lightweight bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 on Oct. 30 due to an injury.
Makhachev still wants to compete at the event and is now looking for a new opponent, manager Ali Abdelaziz told John Morgan of MMA Junkie.
This is the second time the Brazilian has dropped out of a scheduled fight against Makhachev. They were initially set to face off at UFC 254 last October but dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19 weeks before the fight. The bout was then rescheduled for November 2020, but Makhachev battled an injury of his own, forcing another postponement.
Makhachev was seemingly upset with Sunday's news, questioning dos Anjos on Twitter about his injury.
Do you really think I would fake a surgery? Coming out of another terrible injury. Unlike you I have a family that depends on me and I don’t have another man paying my bills. https://t.co/PDvQ2rhZsq
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) September 26, 2021
Abdelaziz said he believes Tony Ferguson and Dan Hooker are the only two viable replacements for his fighter, Morgan adds.
Makhachev is on an eight-fight winning streak. The 29-year-old, who's ranked fifth in the lightweight division, last beat Thiago Moises by submission in his first UFC headliner in July.
Dos Anjos, a former lightweight champion who sits at No. 7 in the division, defeated short-notice replacement Paul Felder via split decision last November. He snapped a two-fight skid and bounced back from a 1-4 stretch with that result.