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Rafael dos Anjos has had an interesting run at Welterweight. Moving to the 170-pound division in mid-2017, the Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos has gone 4-4 - losing to the elite of the Welterweight division.
After the loss to Michael Chiesa, it appears as though Rafael dos Anjos has been figured out at Welterweight. Rafael dos Anjos is now moving back to Lightweight - the division he once conquered. His next opponent will be the rising star Islam Makhachev, who is #11 in the UFC Lightweight rankings.
It's certainly going to be an interesting fight and former UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo told Ag Fight (via Sherdog) that he called Rafael dos Anjos to train with him:
“I told him about the amount of top lightweight fighters we have here in Nova Uniao,” Aldo said, “and of course the leadership of Dede [Andre Pederneiras] were two important points of his decision.”
Jose Aldo explained that he hopes to be able to help dos Anjos in his return to the Lightweight division:
“I hope to be able to help him win in the lightweight division and, right now, aim for the undisputed belt - that is his objective. He's going to fight with Islam Makhachev, so that’s it for now. You can be sure that, with the amount of lightweights we have, we will meet his needs ”
Will Rafael dos Anjos get a harsh welcome back to the Lightweight division?
What's become clear in Rafael dos Anjos' last four losses is that his biggest weaknesses are wrestlers. Islam Makhachev just so happens to be a world-class wrestler, so respect has to be shown to the former champion Rafael dos Anjos for facing an opponent who many deem as a stylistic nightmare for him.
The big question is whether Rafael dos Anjos' experience will pay off, or will he be overwhelmed by another high-pressure wrestler?
