Rafael dos Anjos Returns to 170 Pounds, Faces Bryan Barberena at UFC Orlando

It appears that Rafael dos Anjos is headed back to the welterweight division.

The former lightweight champion, who said that he would look for fights that motivated him following a loss to Rafael Fiziev this past July, officially announced his return to 170 pounds in an interview on Brazilian YouTube channel “Canal Encarada.”

“The UFC offered me two names at lightweight that didn't make sense to me, taking into consideration the rankings issue. So I asked them to drop me from the rankings and decided to go back up to 170 where I can have a healthier life,” dos Anjos said. “Because I fight well with the big guys.”

During the interview the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt claimed that he already had a fight lined up for December, but when pressed said that he was not yet authorized to reveal the name of his opponent. However, according to a report from Combate.com, dos Anjos is expected to face Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night in Orland on Dec. 3.

Dos Anjos began his first stint at welterweight with three consecutive victories before falling to Colby Covington in an interim title bout. The 37-year-old Brazilian returned to 155 pounds after losing four of five, but his hopes of title contention were dashed in a knockout loss to Fiziev at UFC on ESPN 39. Dos Anjos owns a 31-14 career mark.

Barberena, 33, is in the middle of a three-bout winning streak at 170 pounds. After outpointing Darian Weeks late in 2021, “Bam Bam” has earned victories over veterans Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler in 2022.