Surging lightweight contender Islam Makhachev will make his return at UFC 267 after a dominant performance at UFC Vegas 31 which saw him submit Thiago Moises in the fourth round by way of rear-naked choke.
The no. 5 ranked lightweight contender will face no. 7 ranked lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos on the main card of UFC 267, according to a report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Makhachev (20-1) and Dos Anjos (30-13) were originally scheduled to fight in Oct. 2020, however Dos Anjos was forced to pull out of the fight after he tested positive for COVID-19.
The fight was then rescheduled for Nov. 2020, but Makhachev pulled out due to injuries he suffered during training.
The 29-year-old Dagestani was replaced by Paul Felder on five days’ notice, and in his return to lightweight, Dos Anjos won the fight against Felder via split decision.
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Since he suffered a knockout loss to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in Oct. 2015, Makhachev is on an eight fight winning streak.
Dos Anjos, a former UFC lightweight champion, ventured into the welterweight division in 2017.
The 36-year-old Brazilian enjoyed success at 170 pounds, even fighting for the interim title in a losing effort against Colby Covington, before returning back to lightweight in 2020 against Felder.
UFC 267 is slated to take place Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Islam Makhachev-Rafael Dos Anjos slated for UFC 267