Rafael dos Anjos out of UFC 267; Islam Makhachev needs new opponent

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev is off – again.

After multiple failed previous bookings between the lightweight contenders, the promotion tried again for UFC 267 on Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi. A little more than a month out, though, the fight has fallen apart.

MMA Junkie verified with Makhachev’s (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, that the fighter is in need of a new opponent after dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 19-11 UFC) was forced to withdrawal from the contest.

The confirmation came after the pair exchanged some messages on social media indicating the fight was off, with dos Anjos stating he has a “terribly injury” (via Twitter):

@RdosAnjosMMA I don’t believe that you’re injured.., again #chickenfever

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) September 26, 2021

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 told MMA Junkie that his two preferred candidates to replace dos Anjos would be Tony Ferguson (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who is in the midst of a three-fight losing skid, or Dan Hooker (21-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC), who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 on Saturday.

It’s unknown at this time if either of those fights are realistic, but Makhachev, who has won his past eight fights, is no stranger to having difficulty getting fights.

The matchup between Makhachev and dos Anjos was originally scheduled for UFC 254 in October 2020, but dos Anjos caught COVID-19 and was unable to fight. It was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 182 in November, but then Makhachev caught a bad staph infection that prevented him from competing.

The latest UFC 267 lineup now includes: