Rafael dos Anjos is willing to fight Justin Gaethje.
Gaethje is currently opponent-less as while he expected to face Michael Chandler in May, the latter ended up being booked to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262 on May 15.
With Dustin Poirier taking on Conor McGregor in a trilogy in July and Tony Ferguson fighting Beneil Dariush next month, Gaethje has no real fight that makes sense for him.
Dos Anjos, however, is open to fixing that problem.
When Gaethje’s manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted that the top five was ducking Gaethje, the former lightweight champion revealed his availability and willingness to fight — especially as he is the highest-ranked lightweight available.
“Guess who’s the highest ranking available? I’m on it. Send me the contract,” Dos Anjos tweeted Saturday.
It certainly makes the most sense given the available options as Dos Anjos is ranked No. 7. He also still has name value as far as big wins go.
Whether Gaethje is willing to risk his No. 2 spot remains to be seen, however.
Gaethje is coming off a second-round submission defeat to former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in their lightweight title fight last October. Dos Anjos, meanwhile, returned to the lightweight division successfully after a split decision win over Paul Felder on short notice.
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