A welterweight showdown between former interim title contender Rafael dos Anjos and Michael Chiesa is currently in the works for the upcoming UFC Fight Night card from Raleigh, N.C. on Jan. 25.
Multiple sources confirmed the fight to MMA Fighting on Thursday following an initial report from ESPN. At this time, the UFC has not made any official announcement regarding the fight but verbal agreements are in place from the fighters.
After kicking off his welterweight career in the UFC with three straight wins including a victory against former champion Robbie Lawler, dos Anjos has fallen on harder times lately dropping three of his past four fights.
The former lightweight champion picked up a win over Kevin Lee back in May but he’s also suffered losses to Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards in his most recent outing. Now he will attempt to get back on track while facing another former lightweight who is looking to stay undefeated at 170 pounds.
Chiesa moved to welterweight late last year and immediately picked up a submission win over former interim champion Carlos Condit. He followed that up with a lopsided decision against Diego Sanchez and how he’ll attempt to go 3-0 in his new division when he faces dos Anjos in January.
The UFC Fight Night card from Raleigh, N.C. will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between former champion Junior dos Santos and Curtis Blaydes.
Source: MMafighting.com
