Former Strikeforce champ Tarec Saffiedine invites ex-UFC champ Rafael dos Anjos to welterweight

Former Strikeforce champ and UFC welterweight Tarec Saffiedine would like to welcome ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos to his division.

“I hear you want to make a move to the WW division! Let’s do it!” Saffiedine (16-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) wrote to dos Anjos (25-9 MMA, 14-7 UFC) today on Twitter.

Saffiedine stands to get a career boost by putting dos Anjos on his list of wins. The 30-year-old kickboxing standout is on a 1-3 skid inside the octagon, with a split-decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim (22-3-1 MMA, 13-3 UFC) at UFC 207 marking his most recent appearance. A win over a former champ would turn him around in a big way.

Rafael dos Anjos

Dos Anjos, the No. 5 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is looking for redemption after a failed bid to get back into the title hunt. At this past November’s UFC Fight Night 98, he was outworked by the surging Tony Ferguson (22-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC). The setback followed a first-round TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez that stripped him of the belt at UFC Fight Night 90.

Ferguson now is expected to challenge for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209 against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Announcing his intention to move to welterweight, dos Anjos, 32, said the demands of making lightweight had taken their toll over the years and he wanted to pursue new goals. He did not call out a specific opponent for his debut at 170 pounds.

But now, it appears one has materialized.

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