Rafael dos Anjos left no doubt who is the king of the lightweight division at UFC on Fox 17 on Saturday night.
He won the belt from Anthony Pettis earlier in 2015, but there were still questions about his win. Was it an off night for Pettis? Did Dos Anjos just have a great night with a great game plan? Or was he the best in the world? Well, he is the best in the world.
The champion made his first defense against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
In just a little over a minute, it was over. Dos Anjos hurt Cerrone and swarmed relentlessly until the referee halted the bout. It was a dominant performance that ended the UFC’s 2015 campaign in astonishing fashion. Dos Anjos showed that his title win was not a fluke and that he has truly progressed into being one of the pound-for-pound elites in the game.
What’s next for the champion of the world and everyone else on the card? Let’s take a look at the matches to make following UFC on Fox 17.