Rafael dos Anjos is not aboard the Islam Makhachev hype train.
Makhachev recently returned to the Octagon after more than a year away at UFC 259, where he submitted Drew Dober with an arm-triangle choke in the third round of their fight. The dominant, Khabib Nurmagomedov-esque performance was widely praised, but it did not turn Dos Anjos into a believer.
Dos Anjos expressed his opinion about Makhachev in a response on Instagram to some comments made by Daniel Cormier during an episode of ESPN’s DC & Helwani show on Monday. The former UFC lightweight champion questioned why Makhachev was being hyped up so much for beating Dober, who was also defeated by his teammate Beneil Dariush without the same kind of response.