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Rafael dos Anjos vs. Michael Chiesa Booked For January's UFC Raleigh

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Rafael dos Anjos (left) looks to return to the win column in January.

A welterweight showcase between former 155-pound best, Rafael dos Anjos and division mover, Michael 'The Maverick' Chiesa has been booked for UFC Fight Night Raleigh on January 25th. according to ESPN staff writer, Brett Okamoto.

Long-time contender dos Anjos found himself on the losing side of a unanimous decision against perennial challenger Leon Edwards in July, after landing a fourth round arm-triangle triumph over Tristar trainee Kevin Lee in Spring. January opponent Chiesa, has taken welterweight by storm since his move last December, grabbing victories over Octagon veteran's Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez to reverse his two fight losing streak at lightweight. A victory for The Ultimate Fighter winner would certainly be a standout win of his career, but securing winner status over the wily RDA is easier said than done.

Apart from his previously noted defeat to Edwards, dos Anjos has only been bested by Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman at welterweight, the former interim champion and current champion respectively. The 35-year-old of course held the lightweight championship between 2015 and 2016, where he managed gold against Anthony Pettis and then defended successfully in a rematch with 'Cowboy' Cerrone before a knockout defeat to the storied Eddie Alvarez. Since his move to 170-pounds, dos Anjos has added former Strikeforce welterweight best Tarec Saffiedine, former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, and made short work of Neil Magny, to an already impressive resume.

Since his Octagon bow in 2012, Chiesa has added a handful of notable names to his hit-list, including Al Iaquinta, Jim Miller, Francisco Trinaldo, and Beneil Dariush before he was somewhat fast tracked into what proved an interim championship title-eliminator against the aforementioned Kevin Lee, where he dropped a debated submission defeat. The Aurora native has a highly respected Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game and offers offensive grappling setups from his back.

UFC Fight Night Raleigh takes place on January 25th. with a high-stakes heavyweight matchup between standout contender Curtis Blaydes and former division king Junior dos Santos taking headlining status. In our co-main event, bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen welcomes former lightweight best Frankie Edgar to 135-pounds as he looks to earn his first title tilt in the Octagon.

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