Rafael dos Anjos announces exit from lightweight division, believes there are "lots of fights that make sense" at 170 pounds

Rafael dos Anjos recently declared his departure from the UFC's lightweight division, while indicating a shift in his focus towards the welterweight category. The Brazilian has been consistently transitioning between the two weight classes throughout the majority of his career.

Dos Anjos has fought twice in the 170-pound category in his last three appearances in the octagon. However, in his most recent bout, he returned to the division where he once held the UFC championship title, squaring off against Mateusz Gamrot in a 155-pound matchup at UFC 299, which ended in a unanimous decision loss for him.

Although dos Anjos has only fought once as a lightweight since July 2022, he still holds the No. 14 spot in the official UFC rankings. However, he recently shifted his focus and declared on X that he no longer feels the need to validate himself in that division.

Dos Anjos disclosed that he currently maintains a weight of 195 pounds outside of fight camp, making it challenging for him to cut down to the 155-pound limit:

"Get me out of LW rankings. For all LW out there is calling me out. I don’t compete at LW from now on. I have nothing to prove to anybody. I walk around 195 at 39 years old. There’s lots of fights that make sense to me at 170. I want to fight in July @ufc, get me back in that octagon."

Check out Rafael dos Anjos' post below:

In his recent outings at welterweight, dos Anjos secured a submission victory over Bryan Barberena in 2022, only to face a setback with a unanimous decision loss to Vicente Luque in a five-round main event clash at UFC Vegas 78 in August 2023. His UFC record stands at 21-14, reflecting the breadth of his experience and the challenges he's faced inside the octagon.

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When Rafael dos Anjos anticipated welterweight shift could extend his fighting years

Rafael dos Anjos' intention to make a permanent transition to the welterweight division is not a recent development. During a media day interview ahead of his fight at UFC Vegas 78, he revealed that he found competing in the division increasingly difficult.

The former lightweight champion elaborated that moving up to 170 pounds would allow him to extend his career and contend at a higher level for a longer duration:

"I think for me, to compete at lightweight’s been pretty hard. I feel good at welterweight. I fought in this division before, fought for the title in the division, went the distance with the champion, and I decided to make the move, move up. That’s the weight that I’m going to be competing at from now on. And I think at welterweight, I can go longer and extend my career more."

Check out Rafael dos Anjos' comments below (0:21):