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After a stint at 170 pounds, Rafael dos
Anjos will return to the lightweight division to face Islam
Makhachev at UFC 254.
BJPenn.com was first to report the pairing. UFC 254 is expected
to take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24 and is
headlined by a lightweight championship bout between Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Justin
Gaethje.
A former UFC lightweight champion, dos Anjos went 4-4 at
welterweight, earning victories against the likes of Robbie
Lawler, Neil Magny,
Kevin
Lee and Tarec
Saffiedine. The Brazilian had struggled recently, though,
losing four of five Octagon appearances — including a unanimous
decision defeat to Michael
Chiesa in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 166.
Makhachev will return to action for the first time since
outpointing Davi Ramos
at UFC 242 last September. The 28-year-old Dagestani is 7-1 in the
Las Vegas-based promotion and 18-1 as a professional overall.