It all started when Rafael Fiziev pulled out from the fight against dos Anjos at UFC 272. Fiziev suffered from COVID 19 and had no other options but to do that. After a last-minute cancellation, UFC looked for his options for a replacement fighter. In that scenario, Islam Makhachev came out and suggested that he is willing to step in.
But, due to some reasons, the fight didn’t materialize. Instead, dos Anjos fought Renato Moicano and beat him via unanimous decision. The reason for this disagreement between Makhachev and UFC had no explanation. Everybody came up with their own story. UFC president Dana White said that it was Makhachev who backed out from the fight.
Makhachev in his recent interview with ESPN MMA opened about what happened. The Dagestani revealed that it was him that called UFC not the other way around. He woke up and saw the news and asked his manager Ali Abdelaziz to talk with UFC regarding the matter.
Makhachev explained that during the negotiations he did ask for some conditions but they were very minute. The fighter then told that he never asked for 1 million dollars and he is sure about it.
“I asked about some conditions but very small conditions, nothing big for not possible to do. Not UFC called me, not Ali called me, I wake up and I call Ali and I tell him to contact with UFC please I want this fight. But the UFC did not do it, that’s why the fight did not happen….No, not million dollars. 100 percent not million dollars,” said Makhachev.
Rafael dos Anjos on Islam Makhachev
It seems like dos Anjos and Makhachev are not on great terms. The veteran fighters have been taking shots at Makhachev for a long time now.
In one of his recent interviews, dos Anjos went on to claim that Makhachev asked UFC for 1 million dollars for the fight. “I heard he asked for like $1 million or something to take the fight. But, no other explanation,” dos Anjos told The MMA Hour.
The Brazilian has strongly expressed his feelings towards not giving Makhachev the title opportunity. Dos Anjos has been regularly discarding Makhachev’s achievements and believes he has a long way to go before the title shot.