UFC lightweight Rafael dos Anjos has questioned who he is actually responding to when he replies to Islam Makhachev’s Twitter account.
Dos Anjos’ latest comments come as the animosity between the Brazilian and the Dagestani continues to rise as their feuds rolls on.
Following Makhachev’s tweet taunting dos Anjos after he jumped the veteran in the rankings, the former UFC Lightweight Champion proposed a five-round meeting inside the Octagon with the Dagestani.
“I’m playing the same you are. Let’s meet in the cage. 5 rounds don’t be a pussy.”
But after receiving another response from Makhachev, dos Anjos re-evaluated his decision to engage with the Russian over social media, seemingly believing that the top five lightweight isn’t in control of his own account.
After being called a “grandpa” and being encouraged to take the fight and start training, dos Anjos suggested he would reply to the comments if it was actually Makhachev saying them.
“If was Islam I would seriously reply, but I know it’s not him.”
The pair’s rivalry appeared to become more heated after dos Anjos claimed Khabib Nurmagomedov would come out of retirement to fight him if the 36-year-old defeated his teammate Makhachev. This was denied by the 29-year-old’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. But it appears the Dominance MMA Management CEO’s involvement has planted a seed of doubt over who controls Makhachev’s Twitter in the mind of dos Anjos.
It’s fairly common for an athlete’s manager to control their client’s social media accounts and it’s a perception among many in the MMA community that Abdelaziz tweets for his fighters. Given Abdelaziz’s tendency to speak out against fighters and involve himself in feuds, it’s likely RDA believes the insults and responses coming from Makhachev’s account were posted by the Russian’s manager.
Makhachev was most recently in action at UFC Vegas 31 against Brazil’s Thiago Moises. In his first main event, the Dagestani looked dominant throughout and secured a fourth-round rear-naked choke submission to leap into 155-pound title contention. The victory extended his winning streak to eight and added Moises to the list of beaten opponents that includes Drew Dober, Davi Ramos, Gleison Tibau, and Arman Tsarukyan.
Dos Anjos, meanwhile, was last in action in November 2020. After consecutive defeats to Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa, the Brazilian rebounded against short-notice opponent Paul Felder in the main event of UFC Vegas 14. Sitting as the #7-ranked lightweight, the former champ will likely be targeting a top opponent like Makhachev if he’s to climb back into the title picture.
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