Author: Alex Ballentine

Pettis vs. Dos Anjos Results: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction from UFC 185

There’s a new sheriff in the lightweight division, and his name is Rafael dos Anjos. The 30-year-old Brazilian sprung the upset over Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 via unanimous decision to become the seventh lightweight champion in UFC history. 
Blea…

There’s a new sheriff in the lightweight division, and his name is Rafael dos Anjos. The 30-year-old Brazilian sprung the upset over Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 via unanimous decision to become the seventh lightweight champion in UFC history. 

Bleacher Report MMA tweeted out the result:

Dos Anjos made no bones about bringing the fight to Pettis in the lead-up to the bout, and he followed up on that talk. He came out as the aggressor in the opening minutes of the first round and even caught the champion with kicks to the body and crisp boxing combinations. 

As the round carried on, Pettis settled into a counter-punching role that indicated there would be some furious exchanges before it was all said and done. A dos Anjos takedown closed out the round. 

That late takedown would be an omen for what was to come in the second frame. After landing a few overhand lefts in the stand-up game, Dos Anjos once against took down the champion and stayed in control for the vast majority of the round. 

Round 3 appeared to give Pettis some life early on. He landed a high kick that looked like it might slow Dos Anjos. It didn’t. Instead, the Brazilian walked through it, landed a significant strike of his own, then continued to win from top position and against the cage. 

Dos Anjos threatened to pry the title from Showtime’s hands in the fourth round. All he needed to do was separate the champion’s hands to lock in a kimura and end the bout. Instead, Pettis survived to fight on and even mount some offense of his own in the clinch; however, it was still RDA’s round yet again. 

He tried yet again to end the bout in the fifth round as he took Pettis‘ back and looked for a rear-naked choke. He’d have to wait for the judges to declare him the winner, though.

With the win, Dos Anjos becomes the first Brazilian lightweight champion in the history of the UFC. Leading up to the fight, that was a fact that he was aware could come to fruition. 

“I am very excited to be the first lightweight champion from Brazil. The belt has a date to be mine and that will be Saturday. It’s in God’s hands,” Dos Anjos said via Martin Domin of the MailOnline. “It does not bother me to be an underdog. I am an underdog in most of my fights. Maybe it is a good thing for me, he has all the pressure.”

 

It isn’t likely that Dos Anjos will be a big underdog for the foreseeable future at this rate. RDA was a more than 2-1 underdog against both Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis in two of his last three fights, per BestFightOdds.com. But each time he overcame those odds to have his hand raised in victory. 

That doesn’t mean things will be getting any easier for Dos Anjos, though. The 155-pound division is rife with contenders. A rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov would appear to be on the horizon for the new champ, pending the Russian beating Donald Cerrone at UFC 187. 

Given Nurmagomedov‘s decision victory over RDA in April 2014, that’s a matchup with plenty of intrigue. Then there’s the possibility of a rematch with Showtime. 

This is the same division that gave us title rematches in Benson Henderson vs. Pettis 2, Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn 2 and Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2. Pettis‘ exciting style and Dos Anjos championship status might be the perfect recipe for another grudge match between the two down the road. 

Regardless of what Joe Silva and Co. decide to do next with the champion, UFC 185 turned out to be all about Rafael dos Anjos. He wasn’t the one that fans expected to see wearing UFC gold at the end of the night, but he became the latest example that anything can happen in the Octagon. 

It’s that kind of unpredictability that makes the sport great. 

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Carla Esparza vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk: Winner, Scorecard, Reaction from UFC 185

The UFC Women’s Strawweight division has its second champion in just five months. Joanna Jedrzejczyk took the distinction from Carla Esparza via second-round TKO at the co-main event of UFC 185 in Dallas. 
UFC on Fox tweeted out the official resu…

The UFC Women’s Strawweight division has its second champion in just five months. Joanna Jedrzejczyk took the distinction from Carla Esparza via second-round TKO at the co-main event of UFC 185 in Dallas. 

UFC on Fox tweeted out the official result:

The bout immediately lived up to its striker vs. grappler billing. Esparza showcased her relentless wrestling pressure, continuously trying to drag Jedrzejczyk to the mat, while the Polish contender found Esparza’s chin with some crisp striking as the round continued. 

The second round spelled even more doom for Esparza as the disparity between striking skills became even more apparent. Jedrzejczyk continued to utilize her reach and pick apart the champion with strikes until a heavy combination allowed her to officially take the belt. 

Hailing from Olsztyn, Poland, Jedrzejczyk is now the first Polish UFC champion in the organization’s history. “They thought it was going to be some huge guy,” the new champion said about the feat via Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report. “They did not know it was going to be a girl.”

But it’s a girl indeed. The 27-year-old adds an international flair to the UFC champions club which is currently only inhabited by Americans and Brazilians throughout the rest of the organization. 

Now that Jedrzejczyk has earned the belt, the tough work really begins. With the division just crowning its first champion back in December 2014 with an Ultimate Fighter finale, the hierarchy is still in its infancy. 

With the strap now in tow, she’ll be the one who has to prove she’s truly the top 115-pounder in the world by besting a field of contenders that includes a few veterans as well as some interesting up-and-comers.

A quick perusal of the UFC rankings at strawweight reveal a bevy of challengers who have yet to get a crack at the champion. There are plenty of interesting matchups remaining for the champion.

Jessica Penne, Tecia Torres and Joanne Calderwood are all top-six ranked opponents coming off wins. Meanwhile, Paige VanZant recently became one of few fighters to get a sponsorship from Reebok via MMA Fighting.

This is good news for fans of the strawweights, but not such great news for Esparza. Usually the line for a rematch tends to be rather short for former champions, but that might not be the case for the 27-year-old. 

With the division still in its infancy, the question of who will become the face of the division is still up for grabs. At UFC 185, the fiery Pole with the difficult-to-pronounce name took a step toward becoming the star of the division.

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Pettis vs. Dos Anjos: Latest Predictions Before Anticipated UFC 185 Main Event

With just one title defense to his name, Anthony Pettis has the opportunity to make Rafael dos Anjos victim No. 2 of his championship reign at UFC 185. 
Even in his brief stint as champion, Showtime has proven to be worthy of anchoring a pay-per-v…

With just one title defense to his name, Anthony Pettis has the opportunity to make Rafael dos Anjos victim No. 2 of his championship reign at UFC 185. 

Even in his brief stint as champion, Showtime has proven to be worthy of anchoring a pay-per-view card. So far, he’s taken the belt from Benson Henderson with a lightning-quick submission and become the first man to finish former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. 

Now he turns his sights to Rafael dos Anjos. The 30-year-old Brazilian is an unassuming challenger, but a difficult one nonetheless. Here’s a look at how the two combatants stack up. 

 

What They’re Saying

It’s no secret that most of the hype in this fight centers around the champion. Pettis appears to have all the ingredients to become part of the next wave of stars in the UFC. He has the belt, a style that excites and at 28 years old, he’s young enough to keep fighting at the top of his game for years. 

Dos Anjos has been impressive in his rise to No. 1 contender status. His knockout of Henderson and subsequent decision win over Nate Diaz demonstrated how dangerous he is as an opponent. It still hasn’t kept him from being a 7-2 underdog at UFC 185 according to Odds Shark, though. 

When it comes to pinpointing exactly why Pettis is an overwhelming favorite, it’s difficult to point to exactly one reason. Both fighters are well-rounded, it’s just that Pettis seems to have the slight advantage wherever the bout goes. 

Kenny Florian is among those who think Pettis‘ X-factor will be what gives him an edge over his opponent on Saturday night via Fox Sports:

Pettis is one of those guys who shows what he’s made of, how talented he is, every time. He’s fearless, and not in a way that makes him vulnerable. He’s always still strategic, still technical and still smart. He just shows that flash of pizzaz when it’s needed. I think Pettis will be able to hurt Dos Anjos and finish him in the third round.

Not everyone is on board with the champion, though. Khabib Nurmagomedov—a man who has already defeated dos Anjos—believes there will be a new champion. 

“I think [dos Anjos] smashes [Pettis] in striking and I think he smashes him on the ground,” Nurmagomedov told Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com. “Dos Anjos is no easy man. … A lot of people watch and think I beat him easy, but it was not easy. It was no easy fight.”

Of course, there’s an ulterior motive to Nurmagomedov‘s analysis of this bout. He would like nothing more than to get under the skin of the champion. With a record of 22-0, he appears to be on a collision course with whoever’s holding the belt. 

It behooves Nurmagomedov to believe that he can win the strap because he’s already defeated the fighter who has it. However, the odds still say that Nurmagomedov will have to overcome Showtime if he eventually wants to add “UFC champion” to his resume. 

 

Prediction

When analyizing these two fighters, there’s one difference that sticks out—defense. 

Put simply, Pettis excels at it, while dos Anjos does not. Reed Kuhn of MMAOddsBreaker.com puts it into a statistical perspective:

There’s a path to victory for the challenger. His grappling is not to be trifled with and he has some power on his feet. If he’s able to consistently force the fight into close quarters and wear Pettis down before dragging him to the mat, he could grind out a decision. 

That’s much easier said than done. 

What’s much more likely to happen is a stand-up affair. Dos Anjos may try to clinch and score takedowns early, but Pettis‘ has good takedown defense that should force the Brazilian to stand and exchange. 

Over the course of five rounds, that’s bound to cause some trouble. Pettis should be able to add yet another highlight finish to his ever-growing reel as he puts title defense No. 2 in the books. 

Pettis via third-round TKO

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UFC 185: Early Predictions for Pettis vs. dos Anjos Main Event

At UFC 185, Anthony Pettis looks to take another step closer to being one of the best lightweight champions of all time.
That may seem like hyperbole, but there’s truth to it. The championship belt has proven tricky to hold onto for titleholders in the…

At UFC 185, Anthony Pettis looks to take another step closer to being one of the best lightweight champions of all time.

That may seem like hyperbole, but there’s truth to it. The championship belt has proven tricky to hold onto for titleholders in the 155-pound division. Before Showtime, Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn were only able to defend the strap three times before giving way to their successor.

With an impressive submission victory over Gilbert Melendez already in tow, Rafael dos Anjos will be the second opponent to try and pry the title from the champion’s hands.

So what kind of challenges does the 30-year-old Brazilian challenger present to the champion? Here’s a look at the matchup along with the latest odds and a prediction for the main event.

 

When: Saturday, March 14

Start Time: Fight Pass prelims at 7 p.m. ET (subscription required); Fox Sports 1 prelims at 8 p.m. ET; main card pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Live Stream: UFC.tv

 

Fight Preview

As far as title contenders go, Dos Anjos isn’t the flashiest of challengers. There isn’t a whole lot of hype surrounding this title defense, and one has to wonder if that’s partly because Dos Anjos isn’t all that marketable.

The 30-year-old is a recognizable name. He’s fought 17 times in the UFC since 2009, yet he’s been a headliner exactly one time. He will now fight for a championship.

But just because Dos Anjos lacks the sizzle doesn’t mean he doesn’t bring the substance. He is 8-1 in his last nine fights and compares with Pettis statistically, per FightMetric.

Looking at those statistics, two things jump out. First, neither fighters sets a high work rate with their strikes landed per minute. When Johny Hendricks and Matt Brown square off earlier in the night, they’ll bring 7.72 significant strikes per minute between the two of them. That’s almost double the production of Showtime and RDA.

However, that hasn’t kept Pettis from ending fights with his striking. Seven of his 20 career wins have come by way of knockout or TKO, which includes recent victories over Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon.

Dos Anjos recently broke into the knockout game too, though. He earned this shot largely thanks to knockouts of Jason High and Benson Henderson before beating Nate Diaz via decision.

Taking the fight to the mat tends to be a part of the RDA game plan. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner might have a high success rate when it comes to takedowns, but he took High, Diaz and Cerrone down multiple times as he looked to wear them down.

Given the explosiveness of Pettis, whether RDA can employ that strategy against the champion will be key.

 

Prediction

When looking at the buildup to a bout, it’s tough to glean much from what fighters say before a bout. But every now and then, what fighters say before a fight can be rather telling.

For instance, in talking with Joe Rogan at UFC 184, Dos Anjos alluded to avoiding a game plan that is wrestling or jiu-jitsu heavy. “I think Melendez, in my opinion, tried to do the wrong thing,” said Dos Anjos. “I’m not looking to try and grab him, to try a wrestling game at all. I’m not a wrestler, I’m not a jiu-jitsu fighter. Jiu-jitsu is my background, but I’m an MMA fighter. I’m going to finish, I’m going to put the pressure on.”

If this is truly going to be his game plan, it’s going to be a long night for the challenger. Dos Anjos has recently showcased power that we haven’t previously seen from him on the feet, but standing and striking with the champion is not a recipe for success.

The bottom line is that Pettis is a much more diverse striker. His ability to mix in kicks and unorthodox angles into his combinations gives him the edge in a kickboxing match. Should RDA wisen up and look to take Pettis down, he’ll have to make sure he doesn’t fall into the same snare that Henderson and Melendez did when they were submitted.

There are simply too many ways for Pettis to win this one to pick against him.

Pettis via third-round (T)KO.

 

All bout and card information via UFC.com. All statistics via FightMetric unless otherwise noted.

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Rousey vs. Zingano: What UFC 184 Main Event Results Mean for Card’s Headliners

Cat Zingano was supposed to be the most difficult test of Ronda Rousey’s career to date. 
The reasons for believing this were plentiful leading into the bout. The Alpha Cat came into the bout undefeated, winning eight of her nine bouts by either k…

Cat Zingano was supposed to be the most difficult test of Ronda Rousey‘s career to date. 

The reasons for believing this were plentiful leading into the bout. The Alpha Cat came into the bout undefeated, winning eight of her nine bouts by either knockout (KO or TKO) or submission. 

She passed the eye test. The highlight-reel suplex of Amanda Nunes and the vicious knockout of Miesha Tate were evidence that her strength and power would be enough to match up well with Rousey. 

None of that mattered. 

Zingano also had one fatal flaw leading into the championship bout. She got off to slow starts against the likes of Tate and Nunes. The 32-year-old made a habit of dropping the first round before triumphantly rallying in the later rounds. 

In her attempt to overcorrect that flaw, Zingano found herself in Rousey‘s signature armbar. An ill-conceived flying knee attempt to open the round ultimately led to a submission loss in just 14 seconds. 

For Rousey, the win was historically good, via UFC:

So after all the buildup for this fight and the subsequent 14 seconds that it lasted, where do both fighters go from here? Here’s a look at what the bout means for both fighters.

 

Cat Zingano: Next Bout Is a Must-Win

This fight is not the most important of Zingano‘s career. That will be her next one. 

In the long run, Zingano‘s loss won’t hurt her viability as a contender. Yes, she lost in devastating fashion, but it isn’t too hard for the UFC hype machine to spin the loss when setting up a rematch. Anyone can get caught in Rousey‘s explosive submission game.

The division is getting to the point where most of the top fighters have already been cleared by Rousey. Damon Martin of Fox Sports did a nice job of summing up that phenomenon:

All Zingano needs to do to get a rematch is to go out and get back to her winning ways. If she goes out and gets that win against one of the top fighters in the division and things don’t work out for a few prospective opponents, it could conceivably only take one fight. 

To her credit, she appears to want to get right back in the Octagon with the best fighter she can, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:

If there’s one thing that was evident in the buildup to this bout, Zingano has heart. From the way she rallies in fights, to how she’s handled adversity outside of it, she’s the epitome of tough. The smart money is on her bouncing back in a big way and earning a shot at redemption. 

 

Ronda Rousey: Deserving of a Pound-for-Pound Jump

Ronda Rousey currently sits at No. 7 on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. 

The idea of pound-for-pound rankings are inherently subjective, but how can a fighter this dominant not be ranked higher? 

Yes, Rousey is dominating a division that has only been around for two years. In its infancy, the competition isn’t quite as stiff if is in other divisions. Then again, none of the six champions ahead of Rousey in the rankings dominate their opponents quite like Rousey does. 

Jose Aldo—currently No. 2 in the rankings—is undefeated in the UFC just like Rousey, but he’s only finished two of his seven bouts as the champion. That doesn’t mean that he’s not worthy of being in the pound-for-pound discussion, but it should be a factor. 

As far as where Rousey goes from here, there isn’t an apparent answer to that. The possible opponents range from highly unlikely to make weight (Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino) to untested (Bethe Correira) to been there, done that (Miesha Tate and Alexis Davis). 

For now, she’ll ply her secondary trade as an actress on the set of a movie. According to Jeff Cain of MMAWeekly.com, the superstar made a deal with Dana White to shoot a movie before she makes her next title defense. 

That should provide the division with some time to play itself out a little bit until an apparent opponent for Rousey comes up. Until then, we’ll all have another dominant performance from the phenom to debate. 

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Rousey vs. Zingano: Analysis, Highlights from UFC 184 Main Event

Cat Zingano had a pattern of starting off slow in fights. Ronda Rousey is known for finishing fights early. At UFC 184, those two tendencies manifested themselves in the most literal way possible. 
The champion defended her belt in just 14 seconds…

Cat Zingano had a pattern of starting off slow in fights. Ronda Rousey is known for finishing fights early. At UFC 184, those two tendencies manifested themselves in the most literal way possible. 

The champion defended her belt in just 14 seconds via—you guessed it—armbar. 

In defense of the challenger, she was clearly trying to address her prior slow starts. At the opening bell, she charged across the cage with the reckless abandon of someone looking to make a statement. 

However, it’s difficult to beat the champion at her own game. Once the bout hit the mat, Rousey wasted no time in isolating the arm and torquing her way to getting her hand raised for the 11th time in her career. 

Fox Sports 1 passed along Miesha Tate’s analysis of where it all went wrong for the challenger:

The don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it nature of this bout made it one that will forever be etched into Rousey lore. As Duane Finley of Bleacher Report and Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports noted, her last two title defenses have lasted all of 30 seconds:

The bout even made some official UFC history:

In the aftermath of the chaos, Zingano was clearly frustrated. Talking with Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview, the challenger was nearly speechless, only intimating that she wants another shot at the championship belt. 

MMAFighting.com tweeted out the quote:

In all likelihood, Zingano‘s will one day get a rematch. Fortunately for the challenger, the women’s bantamweight division isn’t one that has a bevy of contenders waiting for a title shot. Depending on how things work out with a few other contenders and what Zingano looks like, it won’t be long until it’s her turn to fight for the belt again. 

That is what happens when you have a champion that just runs right through everyone put in her way. 

Rousey‘s dominance is something that is almost unprecedented in the UFC. Many have compared her to Royce Gracie because she’s simply so far ahead of her division. But as Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report points out, this dominance goes beyond even that:

Gracie might have ruled the roost in the organization’s early days, but Rousey is much more dynamic. Gracie won fights with superior technique and the wherewithal to neutralize opponents. Rousey simply has an element of physicality that makes her dominance even more special. 

Rousey‘s superstardom couldn’t have come along at a better time for the organization. With Anderson Silva almost certainly out of the picture, Georges St-Pierre possibly done for good and Brock Lesnar‘s hulking frame entertaining crowds in the WWE, the women’s champion is on her way to becoming the new face to the UFC. 

Much like her fights, that rise to prominence has been impressively quick and dominant. 

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