After Islam Makhachev’s quick win over Bobby Green this past weekend the word was that Dana White had given him the greenlight to fight for the title next, but a turn of events in the days since has led to a change of plan.
When Rafael dos Anjos was left without an opponent for this weekend’s UFC 272 co-main event due to Rafael Fiziev testing positive for Covid, Makhachev had indicated that he’d fight him instead, and the UFC was apparently on-board with that despite the fact that he’d fought only days earlier.
However, soon after it was announced that RDA would be fighting Renato Moicano instead, with dos Anjos claiming that Makhachev had changed his mind.
Some doubted dos Anjos claim, but now Dana White has backed up his version of events.
“When I went to bed one of the nights, I thought it was done,” White told Barstool Sports. “Woke up the next morning and found out they turned it down. Islam [turned it down]. No clue [why].”
And it seems that Makhachev may rue ever offering to take that fight as White now appears to be ruling out the possibility of him getting a title shot next in favor of him fighting Beneil Dariush instead.
“Since he turned down this fight, we’re going to remake the Dariush fight,” White said. “We’ll get that fight going. Dying to see that fight. [If] he gets through Dariush, very interesting.”
Makhachev and Dariush had initially been scheduled to fight last weekend, but an injury forced Dariush out and Bobby Green took his place instead.
However, the word according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is that Dariush doesn’t need surgery on his injured leg and so he’s now open to fighting Makhachev in either June or July.
