Rafael dos Anjos is the UFC lightweight champion.
If that’s a phrase you never thought you’d hear, you aren’t alone. The Brazilian entered his bout with Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 as more than a 4-1 underdog by fight time, according to BestFightOdds.com. But that’s the world we now live in.
Despite all of the pre-fight hype pointing to a coronation of Pettis as the world’s best lightweight, Dos Anjos charged forward and owned the fight for all five rounds. It was a runaway showcase of both his stand-up and grappling skills.
Here’s a look at some key takeaways from each fighter’s performance and what lies ahead for both men.
Takedowns Can Still Be a Problem for Pettis
Pettis has plenty of strengths that made him a UFC champion. Few can match his creativity or unpredictability as a striker. His submission game is equally unpredictable and explosive.
But a glaring weakness that has reared its ugly head before is takedown defense. Clay Guida took Showtime down five times en route to one of his three career losses. Gilbert Melendez also scored a takedown in a fight that Pettis ultimately won by submission, and Jeremy Stephens took him down three times.
Granted, the Guida and Stephens fights took place in 2011. That’s four years ago now. There’s no denying that Pettis has evolved. But much of that evolution came in the form of a dangerous submission game that gave him the belt against Benson Henderson and his first title defense against Melendez.
The issue with employing that strategy against Dos Anjos was that the Brazilian’s brand of grappling wasn’t going to allow him to be submitted. The jiu-jitsu practitioner was great at suffocating Pettis without opening himself up to any submissions.
In all, Dos Anjos brought Pettis down nine times in the five-round fight. That’s a serious concern that Pettis will need to address in his next fight camp. It’s an area that other opponents will undoubtedly test when given the opportunity.
What’s Next for Pettis?
Just who will be that next opponent to test Pettis’ takedown defense is unknown at this point. According to MMAFighting.com, Dana White has already nixed any notion of an immediate rematch:
That’s fair. Pettis hasn’t held the belt long enough to be granted an immediate rematch after losing a one-sided affair. He needs the opportunity to go back to the drawing board and improve in certain areas before attempting to reclaim the title.
Should Khabib Nurmagomedov lose to Donald Cerrone in their upcoming bout, the Russian wrestler would make sense. He could definitely test whether Pettis’ takedown defense is up to snuff. However, if Cerrone loses, it might make more sense for the former champion to see another lightweight who is recently coming off a tough loss, such as Edson Barboza.
Dos Anjos Is More than a Grappler
Don’t let the fact that Dos Anjos scored nine takedowns fool you; this was as complete a performance as you’ll see in the Octagon. The Brazilian was confident and aggressive on the feet as well. As Duane Finley of Bleacher Report noted, everything came from Dos Anjos’ surprisingly effective striking on the feet first:
This win in a vacuum was impressive. Dos Anjos controlled the bout no matter where it went. However, taken in the context of RDA’s entire career, it’s even more inspiring.
As Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie points out, Dos Anjos became the fighter with the most fights before winning his first belt in the UFC:
That’s an odd distinction, but it says one thing: After 18 fights in the UFC, Dos Anjos is still evolving and developing. That kind of dedication to the craft will make him a dangerous champion.
Many will point to his loss to Nurmagomedov as a reason that his title reign will be cut short. The Russian is one win away from challenging RDA in a rematch. However, there’s no telling just how improved the new champion is from that fight back in April 2014.
What’s Next for Dos Anjos?
Likely Nurmagomedov. His fight with Cerrone almost certainly determines the No. 1 contender barring a serious injury, and it’s a fight that people will want to see.
But whether Dos Anjos wins his rematch with the man who beat him just less than a year ago is almost irrelevant at this point.
It isn’t often that an underrated challenger comes in and owns the Octagon against a champion. But when it does, it’s always memorable. Like T.J. Dillashaw and Frankie Edgar before him, Dos Anjos now has a legacy that will always be defined by shocking the world and taking the title.
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