UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos shocked the world when he dominated Anthony Pettis for five rounds in claiming the title.
When dos Anjos successfully defended the belt vs. Don…
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos shocked the world when he dominated Anthony Pettis for five rounds in claiming the title.
When dos Anjos successfully defended the belt vs. Donald Cerrone late last year, he cemented his status as the top 155-pound fighter in the world.
Dos Anjos looks to defend his belt once more next week when he meets Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 90. The entire card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
“I have more weapons,” dos Anjos said. “I can beat him standing. I am a better ground fighter too.”
Alvarez is a former Bellator champion who dropped his Octagon debut to Donald Cerrone. Since, though, he has scored decisions over Gilbert Melendez and Pettis, but has not gone five rounds over the last three years.
“I think this fight against Eddie Alvarez will be very important,” he said. “It is a championship fight, five rounds.
“I’m an aggressive fighter that is always looking to the finish. Alvarez is an aggressive fighter who likes to walk forward. He has been in five-round wars before, but not on the UFC-level.”
Dos Anjos carries a five-fight win streak into the bout, as he has also defeated Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson and Jason High since a 2014 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Be…
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Bellator lightweight champion. He had run up a 9-1 record in his last 10 fights while avenging that sole loss to Michael Chandler. With good reason, Alvarez was considered one of the best lightweights in the world.
A wide decision loss to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut cooled the expectations a bit, but razor-thin wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis have given Alvarez the semblance of a two-fight winning streak. With Khabib Nurmagomedov out of action during Ramadan and Tony Ferguson on the shelf with an injury, Alvarez was the only and best option for Dos Anjos to defend his belt.
Dos Anjos went on a tear after a one-sided decision loss to Nurmagomedov in April 2014. He knocked out former champion Benson Henderson in just two minutes and 31 seconds, and then he dismantled Nate Diaz. He was still a substantial underdog to Anthony Pettis in March 2015, and his dominant win over “Showtime” came as something of a surprise.
In hindsight, however, it represented the culmination of Dos Anjos’ improvements into one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. A 66-second knockout win over Cerrone last December did nothing to change that impression.
This title fight is effectively a lifetime achievement award for Alvarez, who has been one of the best on the planet for the last decade. For Dos Anjos, it’s a chance to stay busy against a challenging opponent while warming up for Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.
Let’s explore each fighter in depth and then take a look at how they match up.
Rafael dos Anjos
Record: 25-7; 5 KO, 8 SUB, 12 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 71″
Dos Anjos is a born-and-bred pressure fighter. The southpaw’s entire game is based on forcing his opponent to the fence and then melding his striking, wrestling and grappling into a seamless and lethal whole.
Aggression is Dos Anjos’ bread and butter. He’s fast but not an off-the-charts athlete; he’s powerful but not a devastating puncher; he’s a skilled striker and wrestler but isn’t elite in either fact. It’s aggressive forward movement and the clever use of the fence that makes him the best fighter in the division.
Few fighters in MMA are more skilled in the art of pressure than Dos Anjos. He uses forward and lateral movement, strikes to herd his opponent from side to side and hard counters in the pocket when his opponent tries to stand his ground in the face of his aggression. The combination of these things makes it nearly impossible to keep the fight in open space and away from the fence.
Effective pressure isn’t just about moving forward, but also about cutting off the opponent’s escape routes: Ronda Rousey, for example, discovered this to her detriment when she tried to bull-rush Holly Holm last November.
Dos Anjos is especially fond of using his left kick and right hook to cut off those angles. As he moves forward, the opponent tries to move laterally to avoid the fence. When he does, Dos Anjos can counter that sidestep with an arcing kick or hook.
Either way he attempts to move, Dos Anjos has an answer. This also simplifies Dos Anjos’ own pressure footwork, because it means he only needs to worry about his opponent moving laterally in one direction. Against Pettis, for example, the constant threat of the left kick consistently forced Pettis to move toward Dos Anjos’ right side, and this made him increasingly predictable as the fight wore on.
When his opponent’s back hits the fence, Dos Anjos really goes to work. He moves seamlessly between head-body punching combinations, vicious kicks, hard knees and punches in the clinch and smooth takedown attempts. Dos Anjos is one of the best in the sport at getting his opponent to cover up to defend punches and then ducking under for the double-leg takedown.
The champion isn’t afraid to exchange punches in the pocket, especially near the fence. This means that he won’t be scared off his pressure game by opponents who plant their feet and try to counter. Instead, Dos Anjos throws back and gets right back to pressuring.
Even on the ground, Dos Anjos uses the fence to his advantage. He excels at pinning his opponent’s hips against the cage and then blasting them with technical and vicious ground strikes while they struggle to either wall-walk back to their feet or hunt for unlikely submissions. Dos Anjos has one of the strongest top games in the division, and it’s probably his best technical skill set.
Pace is a strong suit for Dos Anjos. Not only does he have great endurance, his constant aggression means he’s almost always in range to land something. His opponents can’t catch a break at any point.
As good as Dos Anjos is, he’s not a perfect fighter. He’s a good defensive wrestler, but his takedown defense isn’t impenetrable, and most of his career losses have come against fighters who could take him down and keep him there. While he’s sound defensively, his aggression means that he’s constantly in his opponent’s face and thus in range to be eating shots.
While no opponent has been able to avoid his pressure in recent years, there’s always the chance that Dos Anjos would struggle in a matchup that took place in the middle of the cage, rather than against the fence.
In sum, however, Dos Anjos is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Every piece of his game works seamlessly together in the service of channeled aggression.
Eddie Alvarez
Record: 27-4; 14 KO, 7 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 69″
Alvarez is a smart, technical fighter with boatloads of experience against the best in the world and the intelligence to adjust on the fly. His game relies in equal measure on slick, powerful hands and strong wrestling skills that he applies in versatile ways depending on the opponent he has in front of him.
The former Bellator champion is happiest working on the feet. More specifically, Alvarez does his best work darting in and out of the pocket with crisp head-body combinations. He circles and then picks his spots to slide into punching range before exiting on a different angle. If his opponent drops a counter on him as he comes in, Alvarez is happy to plant his feet and exchange.
The left hook is Alvarez’s best punch, particularly when he finishes his combinations with it. When he gets stuck throwing single shots or falls into the trap of headhunting, it’s easy to underestimate Alvarez; when he’s moving and stringing together two or three shots, Alvarez is one of the better strikers in the division. While he could do a better job of setting them up, Alvarez throws punishing kicks at all levels.
The problem with all of this is defense. Alvarez has always been hittable, particularly as he comes into punching range, and his somewhat odd posture makes it difficult for him to absorb punches. This has led to many knockdowns over the course of Alvarez’s long career, though finishing him isn’t easy.
Wrestling is a strong secondary skill set for Alvarez. He does a solid, but not outstanding, job of using strikes to cover his level changes, but his sheer physical strength allows him to bull his opponent into the fence, where Alvarez can chain his attempts together.
Standard singles and doubles comprise most of Alvarez’s game, though he puts them together cleverly and finishes them with some authority. Defensively, Alvarez is nearly impossible to place on the mat and scrambles well if taken down.
On the mat, Alvarez is mostly a control artist and is generally content to work strikes and stay heavy on top. He packs legitimate power in his ground strikes when he can posture, though, and does a great job of getting to his opponent’s back in transitions.
Conversely, however, Alvarez occasionally leaves openings for his opponent’s submissions, especially if tired or hurt.
Betting Odds
Dos Anjos -430, Alvarez +345
Prediction
The betting odds favor Dos Anjos, and with good reason: The champion is a nightmarish matchup for Alvarez.
Dos Anjos has the defensive wrestling skills to keep this on the feet, works at a quicker pace and won’t be content to allow Alvarez to play his preferred stick-and-move game in the middle of the cage. Alvarez’s defensive wrestling skills should allow him to avoid Dos Anjos’ punishing top game, but the champion is no picnic on the feet.
This matchup comes down to Dos Anjos’ pressure against Alvarez’s ability to escape when backed up to the fence. Alvarez has slick footwork and has successfully avoided pressuring opponents before, but pressure is Dos Anjos’ wheelhouse, and Alvarez has never had to deal with an opponent who combines aggression and technical skill as effectively as the champion.
Escaping for round after round against a tireless and dangerous opponent who won’t be afraid to exchange when Alvarez throws at him is a tall order. Even if he can mostly keep this in the center, Alvarez is going to eat more than a few shots as Dos Anjos pressures him methodically and efficiently.
Dos Anjos is going to eat a few shots, and Alvarez’s power is no joke. On the whole, however, the matchup favors the champion practically everywhere. Dos Anjos takes a clear but competitive 49-46 decision.
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Be…
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Bellator lightweight champion. He had run up a 9-1 record in his last 10 fights while avenging that sole loss to Michael Chandler. With good reason, Alvarez was considered one of the best lightweights in the world.
A wide decision loss to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut cooled the expectations a bit, but razor-thin wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis have given Alvarez the semblance of a two-fight winning streak. With Khabib Nurmagomedov out of action during Ramadan and Tony Ferguson on the shelf with an injury, Alvarez was the only and best option for Dos Anjos to defend his belt.
Dos Anjos went on a tear after a one-sided decision loss to Nurmagomedov in April 2014. He knocked out former champion Benson Henderson in just two minutes and 31 seconds, and then he dismantled Nate Diaz. He was still a substantial underdog to Anthony Pettis in March 2015, and his dominant win over “Showtime” came as something of a surprise.
In hindsight, however, it represented the culmination of Dos Anjos’ improvements into one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. A 66-second knockout win over Cerrone last December did nothing to change that impression.
This title fight is effectively a lifetime achievement award for Alvarez, who has been one of the best on the planet for the last decade. For Dos Anjos, it’s a chance to stay busy against a challenging opponent while warming up for Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.
Let’s explore each fighter in depth and then take a look at how they match up.
Rafael dos Anjos
Record: 25-7; 5 KO, 8 SUB, 12 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 71″
Dos Anjos is a born-and-bred pressure fighter. The southpaw’s entire game is based on forcing his opponent to the fence and then melding his striking, wrestling and grappling into a seamless and lethal whole.
Aggression is Dos Anjos’ bread and butter. He’s fast but not an off-the-charts athlete; he’s powerful but not a devastating puncher; he’s a skilled striker and wrestler but isn’t elite in either fact. It’s aggressive forward movement and the clever use of the fence that makes him the best fighter in the division.
Few fighters in MMA are more skilled in the art of pressure than Dos Anjos. He uses forward and lateral movement, strikes to herd his opponent from side to side and hard counters in the pocket when his opponent tries to stand his ground in the face of his aggression. The combination of these things makes it nearly impossible to keep the fight in open space and away from the fence.
Effective pressure isn’t just about moving forward, but also about cutting off the opponent’s escape routes: Ronda Rousey, for example, discovered this to her detriment when she tried to bull-rush Holly Holm last November.
Dos Anjos is especially fond of using his left kick and right hook to cut off those angles. As he moves forward, the opponent tries to move laterally to avoid the fence. When he does, Dos Anjos can counter that sidestep with an arcing kick or hook.
Either way he attempts to move, Dos Anjos has an answer. This also simplifies Dos Anjos’ own pressure footwork, because it means he only needs to worry about his opponent moving laterally in one direction. Against Pettis, for example, the constant threat of the left kick consistently forced Pettis to move toward Dos Anjos’ right side, and this made him increasingly predictable as the fight wore on.
When his opponent’s back hits the fence, Dos Anjos really goes to work. He moves seamlessly between head-body punching combinations, vicious kicks, hard knees and punches in the clinch and smooth takedown attempts. Dos Anjos is one of the best in the sport at getting his opponent to cover up to defend punches and then ducking under for the double-leg takedown.
The champion isn’t afraid to exchange punches in the pocket, especially near the fence. This means that he won’t be scared off his pressure game by opponents who plant their feet and try to counter. Instead, Dos Anjos throws back and gets right back to pressuring.
Even on the ground, Dos Anjos uses the fence to his advantage. He excels at pinning his opponent’s hips against the cage and then blasting them with technical and vicious ground strikes while they struggle to either wall-walk back to their feet or hunt for unlikely submissions. Dos Anjos has one of the strongest top games in the division, and it’s probably his best technical skill set.
Pace is a strong suit for Dos Anjos. Not only does he have great endurance, his constant aggression means he’s almost always in range to land something. His opponents can’t catch a break at any point.
As good as Dos Anjos is, he’s not a perfect fighter. He’s a good defensive wrestler, but his takedown defense isn’t impenetrable, and most of his career losses have come against fighters who could take him down and keep him there. While he’s sound defensively, his aggression means that he’s constantly in his opponent’s face and thus in range to be eating shots.
While no opponent has been able to avoid his pressure in recent years, there’s always the chance that Dos Anjos would struggle in a matchup that took place in the middle of the cage, rather than against the fence.
In sum, however, Dos Anjos is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Every piece of his game works seamlessly together in the service of channeled aggression.
Eddie Alvarez
Record: 27-4; 14 KO, 7 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 69″
Alvarez is a smart, technical fighter with boatloads of experience against the best in the world and the intelligence to adjust on the fly. His game relies in equal measure on slick, powerful hands and strong wrestling skills that he applies in versatile ways depending on the opponent he has in front of him.
The former Bellator champion is happiest working on the feet. More specifically, Alvarez does his best work darting in and out of the pocket with crisp head-body combinations. He circles and then picks his spots to slide into punching range before exiting on a different angle. If his opponent drops a counter on him as he comes in, Alvarez is happy to plant his feet and exchange.
The left hook is Alvarez’s best punch, particularly when he finishes his combinations with it. When he gets stuck throwing single shots or falls into the trap of headhunting, it’s easy to underestimate Alvarez; when he’s moving and stringing together two or three shots, Alvarez is one of the better strikers in the division. While he could do a better job of setting them up, Alvarez throws punishing kicks at all levels.
The problem with all of this is defense. Alvarez has always been hittable, particularly as he comes into punching range, and his somewhat odd posture makes it difficult for him to absorb punches. This has led to many knockdowns over the course of Alvarez’s long career, though finishing him isn’t easy.
Wrestling is a strong secondary skill set for Alvarez. He does a solid, but not outstanding, job of using strikes to cover his level changes, but his sheer physical strength allows him to bull his opponent into the fence, where Alvarez can chain his attempts together.
Standard singles and doubles comprise most of Alvarez’s game, though he puts them together cleverly and finishes them with some authority. Defensively, Alvarez is nearly impossible to place on the mat and scrambles well if taken down.
On the mat, Alvarez is mostly a control artist and is generally content to work strikes and stay heavy on top. He packs legitimate power in his ground strikes when he can posture, though, and does a great job of getting to his opponent’s back in transitions.
Conversely, however, Alvarez occasionally leaves openings for his opponent’s submissions, especially if tired or hurt.
Betting Odds
Dos Anjos -430, Alvarez +345
Prediction
The betting odds favor Dos Anjos, and with good reason: The champion is a nightmarish matchup for Alvarez.
Dos Anjos has the defensive wrestling skills to keep this on the feet, works at a quicker pace and won’t be content to allow Alvarez to play his preferred stick-and-move game in the middle of the cage. Alvarez’s defensive wrestling skills should allow him to avoid Dos Anjos’ punishing top game, but the champion is no picnic on the feet.
This matchup comes down to Dos Anjos’ pressure against Alvarez’s ability to escape when backed up to the fence. Alvarez has slick footwork and has successfully avoided pressuring opponents before, but pressure is Dos Anjos’ wheelhouse, and Alvarez has never had to deal with an opponent who combines aggression and technical skill as effectively as the champion.
Escaping for round after round against a tireless and dangerous opponent who won’t be afraid to exchange when Alvarez throws at him is a tall order. Even if he can mostly keep this in the center, Alvarez is going to eat more than a few shots as Dos Anjos pressures him methodically and efficiently.
Dos Anjos is going to eat a few shots, and Alvarez’s power is no joke. On the whole, however, the matchup favors the champion practically everywhere. Dos Anjos takes a clear but competitive 49-46 decision.
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Be…
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran Eddie Alvarez (27-4; 2-1 UFC).
Alvarez came to the UFC with high expectations as the Bellator lightweight champion. He had run up a 9-1 record in his last 10 fights while avenging that sole loss to Michael Chandler. With good reason, Alvarez was considered one of the best lightweights in the world.
A wide decision loss to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut cooled the expectations a bit, but razor-thin wins over Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis have given Alvarez the semblance of a two-fight winning streak. With Khabib Nurmagomedov out of action during Ramadan and Tony Ferguson on the shelf with an injury, Alvarez was the only and best option for Dos Anjos to defend his belt.
Dos Anjos went on a tear after a one-sided decision loss to Nurmagomedov in April 2014. He knocked out former champion Benson Henderson in just two minutes and 31 seconds, and then he dismantled Nate Diaz. He was still a substantial underdog to Anthony Pettis in March 2015, and his dominant win over “Showtime” came as something of a surprise.
In hindsight, however, it represented the culmination of Dos Anjos’ improvements into one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. A 66-second knockout win over Cerrone last December did nothing to change that impression.
This title fight is effectively a lifetime achievement award for Alvarez, who has been one of the best on the planet for the last decade. For Dos Anjos, it’s a chance to stay busy against a challenging opponent while warming up for Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.
Let’s explore each fighter in depth and then take a look at how they match up.
Rafael dos Anjos
Record: 25-7; 5 KO, 8 SUB, 12 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 71″
Dos Anjos is a born-and-bred pressure fighter. The southpaw’s entire game is based on forcing his opponent to the fence and then melding his striking, wrestling and grappling into a seamless and lethal whole.
Aggression is Dos Anjos’ bread and butter. He’s fast but not an off-the-charts athlete; he’s powerful but not a devastating puncher; he’s a skilled striker and wrestler but isn’t elite in either fact. It’s aggressive forward movement and the clever use of the fence that makes him the best fighter in the division.
Few fighters in MMA are more skilled in the art of pressure than Dos Anjos. He uses forward and lateral movement, strikes to herd his opponent from side to side and hard counters in the pocket when his opponent tries to stand his ground in the face of his aggression. The combination of these things makes it nearly impossible to keep the fight in open space and away from the fence.
Effective pressure isn’t just about moving forward, but also about cutting off the opponent’s escape routes: Ronda Rousey, for example, discovered this to her detriment when she tried to bull-rush Holly Holm last November.
Dos Anjos is especially fond of using his left kick and right hook to cut off those angles. As he moves forward, the opponent tries to move laterally to avoid the fence. When he does, Dos Anjos can counter that sidestep with an arcing kick or hook.
Either way he attempts to move, Dos Anjos has an answer. This also simplifies Dos Anjos’ own pressure footwork, because it means he only needs to worry about his opponent moving laterally in one direction. Against Pettis, for example, the constant threat of the left kick consistently forced Pettis to move toward Dos Anjos’ right side, and this made him increasingly predictable as the fight wore on.
When his opponent’s back hits the fence, Dos Anjos really goes to work. He moves seamlessly between head-body punching combinations, vicious kicks, hard knees and punches in the clinch and smooth takedown attempts. Dos Anjos is one of the best in the sport at getting his opponent to cover up to defend punches and then ducking under for the double-leg takedown.
The champion isn’t afraid to exchange punches in the pocket, especially near the fence. This means that he won’t be scared off his pressure game by opponents who plant their feet and try to counter. Instead, Dos Anjos throws back and gets right back to pressuring.
Even on the ground, Dos Anjos uses the fence to his advantage. He excels at pinning his opponent’s hips against the cage and then blasting them with technical and vicious ground strikes while they struggle to either wall-walk back to their feet or hunt for unlikely submissions. Dos Anjos has one of the strongest top games in the division, and it’s probably his best technical skill set.
Pace is a strong suit for Dos Anjos. Not only does he have great endurance, his constant aggression means he’s almost always in range to land something. His opponents can’t catch a break at any point.
As good as Dos Anjos is, he’s not a perfect fighter. He’s a good defensive wrestler, but his takedown defense isn’t impenetrable, and most of his career losses have come against fighters who could take him down and keep him there. While he’s sound defensively, his aggression means that he’s constantly in his opponent’s face and thus in range to be eating shots.
While no opponent has been able to avoid his pressure in recent years, there’s always the chance that Dos Anjos would struggle in a matchup that took place in the middle of the cage, rather than against the fence.
In sum, however, Dos Anjos is one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Every piece of his game works seamlessly together in the service of channeled aggression.
Eddie Alvarez
Record: 27-4; 14 KO, 7 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5’9″
Reach: 69″
Alvarez is a smart, technical fighter with boatloads of experience against the best in the world and the intelligence to adjust on the fly. His game relies in equal measure on slick, powerful hands and strong wrestling skills that he applies in versatile ways depending on the opponent he has in front of him.
The former Bellator champion is happiest working on the feet. More specifically, Alvarez does his best work darting in and out of the pocket with crisp head-body combinations. He circles and then picks his spots to slide into punching range before exiting on a different angle. If his opponent drops a counter on him as he comes in, Alvarez is happy to plant his feet and exchange.
The left hook is Alvarez’s best punch, particularly when he finishes his combinations with it. When he gets stuck throwing single shots or falls into the trap of headhunting, it’s easy to underestimate Alvarez; when he’s moving and stringing together two or three shots, Alvarez is one of the better strikers in the division. While he could do a better job of setting them up, Alvarez throws punishing kicks at all levels.
The problem with all of this is defense. Alvarez has always been hittable, particularly as he comes into punching range, and his somewhat odd posture makes it difficult for him to absorb punches. This has led to many knockdowns over the course of Alvarez’s long career, though finishing him isn’t easy.
Wrestling is a strong secondary skill set for Alvarez. He does a solid, but not outstanding, job of using strikes to cover his level changes, but his sheer physical strength allows him to bull his opponent into the fence, where Alvarez can chain his attempts together.
Standard singles and doubles comprise most of Alvarez’s game, though he puts them together cleverly and finishes them with some authority. Defensively, Alvarez is nearly impossible to place on the mat and scrambles well if taken down.
On the mat, Alvarez is mostly a control artist and is generally content to work strikes and stay heavy on top. He packs legitimate power in his ground strikes when he can posture, though, and does a great job of getting to his opponent’s back in transitions.
Conversely, however, Alvarez occasionally leaves openings for his opponent’s submissions, especially if tired or hurt.
The betting odds favor Dos Anjos, and with good reason: The champion is a nightmarish matchup for Alvarez.
Dos Anjos has the defensive wrestling skills to keep this on the feet, works at a quicker pace and won’t be content to allow Alvarez to play his preferred stick-and-move game in the middle of the cage. Alvarez’s defensive wrestling skills should allow him to avoid Dos Anjos’ punishing top game, but the champion is no picnic on the feet.
This matchup comes down to Dos Anjos’ pressure against Alvarez’s ability to escape when backed up to the fence. Alvarez has slick footwork and has successfully avoided pressuring opponents before, but pressure is Dos Anjos’ wheelhouse, and Alvarez has never had to deal with an opponent who combines aggression and technical skill as effectively as the champion.
Escaping for round after round against a tireless and dangerous opponent who won’t be afraid to exchange when Alvarez throws at him is a tall order. Even if he can mostly keep this in the center, Alvarez is going to eat more than a few shots as Dos Anjos pressures him methodically and efficiently.
Dos Anjos is going to eat a few shots, and Alvarez’s power is no joke. On the whole, however, the matchup favors the champion practically everywhere. Dos Anjos takes a clear but competitive 49-46 decision.
International Fight Week begins with a pair of stacked cards in the lead-up to UFC 200.
On Thursday, July 7, the UFC’s Fight Pass platform plays host to a fun Fight Night event headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Rafael Dos Anjos an…
International Fight Week begins with a pair of stacked cards in the lead-up to UFC 200.
On Thursday, July 7, the UFC’s Fight Pass platform plays host to a fun Fight Night event headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Rafael Dos Anjos and well-traveled challenger Eddie Alvarez.
On Friday, July 8, Fox Sports 1 features The Ultimate Fighter 23Finale. In its main event, strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk takes on Claudia Gadelha in a rematch of their contentious December 2014 meeting that launched Jedrzejczyk into a title shot and something close to stardom.
These two main events are among the best fights that can be made in their respective divisions, and in the case of Jedrzejczyk-Gadelha, one of the best possible fights in the entire promotion.
Neither event is big on name value outside the main events, but they’re both stacked with fantastic matchmaking. The Fight Night co-main event features a heavyweight slobberknocker between Roy Nelson and the rising Derrick Lewis, while Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks—a top-five fighter by any measure—makes his UFC debut against Ross Pearson at the TUF finale.
Blue-chip Korean prospect Doo Ho Choi returns to action against Thiago Tavares after yet another first-round knockout win, Ireland’s Joe Duffy takes on Mitch Clarke and action fighter Alan Jouban takes on exciting newcomer Belal Muhammad.
Even the preliminary cards have fun fights to look forward to. Thursday’s bantamweight scrap between Dileno Lopes and Anthony Birchak should be fiery, while Jake Matthews and Kevin Lee meet in a fantastic lightweight fight on Friday.
These are two fun cards topped with outstanding title fights. Let’s take a look at each matchup.
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is all set to make his second career 155-pound title defense, when he headlines UFC Fight Night 90 against No. 2-ranked Eddie Alvarez. In a recent conference call ahead of his clash with Alvarez next week, courtesy of MMA Fighting, the surging Brazilian champ was asked of a possible
UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is all set to make his second career 155-pound title defense, when he headlines UFC Fight Night 90 against No. 2-ranked Eddie Alvarez.
In a recent conference call ahead of his clash with Alvarez next week, courtesy of MMA Fighting, the surging Brazilian champ was asked of a possible matchup with the returning mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Georges St-Pierre.
St-Pierre recently claimed that he could ‘easily’ make 155-pounds in an Octagon return, setting up a possible super-fight with dos Anjos in the near future:
“I’m a big fan of Georges St-Pierre,” dos Anjos said. “For me it would be great to fight against my idol. Of course, man.
It’s a new challenger. It’s a big money fight, too. Of course, if he can make it (to lightweight), I’m here, man. I’ll have the belt.”
While money would be a huge motivating factor for a possible contest against the Canadian legend, dos Anjos remained adamant that his love for the sport is what motivates him in his combat career, not the financial benefits:
“A lot of people talk about that, about money, money, money” dos Anjos said. “Everybody likes money. I like money. But I don’t love money.
You know, I don’t love money. I fight because I like challenges. I like my life. I like competing, but it’s not just because of the money.”
St-Pierre’s debut in the lightweight division would no doubt be against the champion, so if ‘RDA’ wants to be the man to welcome ‘GSP’ to the talent stacked 155-pound division, he must first get through a very game Alvarez in ‘Sin City’:
“I just feel I have more weapons to win this fight,” dos Anjos said. “My stand-up is better. My wrestling is better. My ground game is better.
Eddie Alvarez, man, he’s a tough guy. He’s been in the game for a long time and he’s the only guy in the line now, he’s the next challenger.
I’m just going to go there and prove to the world, prove to myself, and show everybody how I work with my team. This victory is for my team, my friends, and just show everybody that I’m the champion and I’m going to be with this belt for a long [time].”
Dos Anjos has amassed a tremendously impressive track record throughout his eight-year UFC career, owning victories over the likes of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Benson Henderson, and former lightweight champion Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis.
‘RDA’s’ extensive experience with the upper echelon that the 155-pound class has to offer has given the Brazilian a tremendous amount of confidence up to this point in his career, and he firmly believes he will emerge victorious when it’s all said and done in Vegas:
“Cerrone was also very durable,” dos Anjos said. “Ben Henderson, he had never been knocked out before fighting me. Man, I’m just excited. It’ll be a great fight.
Eddie, the guy walks forward. He likes to fight violent, he likes to walk forward. That’s my style too and it’s going to be a great fight, but I have no doubts that I’m going to leave the arena with my belt back home.”
UFC Fight Night 90 takes place live on UFC Fight Pass, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 7, 2016.
Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (25-7; 14-5 UFC) opens the International Fight Week festivities on July 7 by defending his title against well-traveled veteran 
While money would be a huge motivating factor for a possible contest against the Canadian legend, dos Anjos remained adamant that his love for the sport is what motivates him in his combat career, not the financial benefits:
Dos Anjos has amassed a tremendously impressive track record throughout his eight-year UFC career, owning victories over the likes of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Benson Henderson, and former lightweight champion Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis.