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UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev has fired shots at Rafael Dos Anjos and Paul Felder, claiming they both refused to fight him. In his latest tweet, the Dagestani expressed his disappointment, stating he has been turned down in the past.
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If this is true, it is now the third time a fight between Mkahachev and Dos Anjos has failed to materialize.
Islam Makhachev is a friend and longtime training partner of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who believes Makhachev will be the lightweight king in the future. Currently, Islam Makhachev sits at number eleven in the UFC lightweight rankings.
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Islam Makhachev's history with canceled bouts:
Despite signing with the UFC in 2014, Makhachev still hasn't broken through to the top ten of the lightweight division. This is not in any way reflective of the Dagestani's skills inside the octagon.
Islam Makhachev was scheduled to face Alexander Hernandez at UFC 249 on April 18, 2020. However, Makhachev was removed from the card due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and was replaced by Omar Morales.
The Dagestani was expected to face veteran Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 254 on October 24, 2020. Unfortunately, Dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19 and he was removed from the bout. The UFC failed to find a replacement opponent for Makhachev, so his fight with Dos Anjos was rescheduled for November 14, 2020. However, this time Makhachev was forced to pull out from the event owing to a staph infection. Paul Felder stepped in to replace the Dagestani.
RDA recently called out Justin Gaethje on Twitter, and this didn't sit well with Islam Makhachev. The wrestler claimed that his fight with RDA had been scheduled, and Dos Anjos shouldn't try to run away.
In his last outing, Islam Makhachev faced Drew Dober at UFC 259 on March 6, 2021, and won the fight via submission in the third round. Makhachev has been trying to make his way to an eventual title shot but seems to encounter multiple hurdles along the way.
Islam Makhachev has expressed his desire to fight former interim champion and lightweight veteran Tony Ferguson. This would be interesting, considering the fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov never came to fruition. Islam Makhachev vs. Tony Ferguson is perhaps the closest thing we could get to the fight that never was.
Makhachev suffered a singular loss in his career, which came against Adriano Martins at UFC 192 on October 3, 2015. The Dagestani has since gone on a seven-fight win streak. He currently holds the UFC record for the least amount of strikes absorbed per minute at 0.77.
