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UFC 185 Results: Don’t Rush Henry Cejudo, and He May Be the New Flyweight Champ

Although Henry Cejudo was quick to tell Joe Rogan after his win over Chris Cariaso at UFC 185 that he’ll fight champion Demetrious Johnson next time out if that’s what the UFC wants, it would be wise for everyone to hold their proverbial ho…

In a world where 125-pound talent is as thin as the combover of a middle-aged insurance adjuster, that’s hard to do. Johnson has run amok on the weight class since it was launched by the UFC, and no one has ever really pushed him during his title run. That’s led to guys getting rushed into fights they aren’t ready for.

Cariaso was one of those guys, actually. He was stopped in a couple of rounds.

Kyoji Horiguchi is one of those guys. He’ll be stopped in a couple of rounds when he gets his chance next month.

Joseph Benavidez had to take a rematch before he was ready and lost any chance of becoming a champion as a result. John Moraga was rushed into a shot immediately before him and had success only insomuch as he managed to get to the fifth round before being submitted.

Johnson’s gotta eat, though, that’s the problem. Both inside and out of the cage, he’s gotta eat, and the UFC has to find warm bodies for him to run circles around so that can happen.

However, if the cycle of unprepared guys isn’t broken eventually, the promotion might as well just name Johnson champion for life. He’s already better than the bulk of opponents he’ll face—facing them when they aren’t the best versions they could possibly be is just academic.

Which is where Cejudo fits in.

There’s a lot to like about him: Olympic gold medalist, great stand-up, marketability. The most important thing, though? He’s an unfinished product.

After his win over Cariaso, he’s 8-0. He’s also still learning the ropes in terms of consistently getting himself down to the flyweight limit, a trouble that looked to be derailing his UFC career as recently as August.

To borrow a phrase that’s become prominent in MMA culture in 2015, where Cejudo as a title challenger is concerned, the time is (not) now.

The time is now for Johnson to rematch Dodson or to give Zach Makovsky a shot if he’s successful next time out. The time is now for Jussier Formiga to get thrown in there. The time is now for literally anything to happen that prevents Cejudo from being the next title challenger in that weight class.

Because when his time comes—and make no mistake, it will come in that division—the finished product that Cejudo will be is championship material.

So let him beat up a few more guys in the division, build his striking and takedowns into a more fluid form of violence and get his hands on a few more flittering flyweights who move around at a high pace so he can prepare for a man like Johnson.

The bottom line is that the flyweight division needs a foil for its champion. Johnson hasn’t captured the attention of the fans with his dominance or his personality, and he’s too good to have been pulled into a war that got people’s attention. Based on the tools he has already, a Cejudo properly groomed could be that foil.

So don’t hurry him, UFC. Let him develop the way you once let you prospects develop, without concern for filling cards or policing rankings. Just let him get as good as he can be and then give him a shot that he’ll inevitably earn as that process unfolds.

Do that, and you may just have yourself a new flyweight champion.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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UFC 185 Results: 5 Fights for Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis was poised to become a crossover mixed martial arts star if he walked out of UFC 185 with the lightweight title Saturday. Unfortunately for him, Rafael dos Anjos completely stopped that momentum with a dominating 25-minute performance.
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This defeat sends Pettis back to the drawing board. The 155-pound division is full of interesting fights that will help him stay relevant in the weight class moving forward.

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UFC 185 Results: Anthony Pettis Has to Wait Before Becoming a Crossover Star

Rafael dos Anjos walked out of UFC 185 with the lightweight title around his waist. He defeated a man who was in the process of emerging as a future star within the sport. Not only did he snatch the belt from around Pettis’ waist, but he also denied the UFC a chance to develop another cross over star. The organization was banking on pushing “Showtime” to the masses, and dos Anjos completely ruined that moment.

For five rounds, dos Anjos dominated Pettis in a way that was widely unexpected. Many MMA media experts were picking Pettis to win the fight. Those that didn’t immediately took to Twitter to illicit their excitement in picking the underdog in this fight.

That excitement for being “right” shows how important Pettis was becoming leading into the UFC 185 main event. In December, MMA Fighting chronicled the fact that Pettis is the first MMA athlete to be featured on a Wheaties box. With the highlight reel finishes that Pettis was amassing, it was clear to many people that he was growing into a star that could cross over to other aspects of the entertainment world.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports recently wrote a piece about ‘Showtime’ and his growth that brought out an interesting reference to thoughts from UFC President Dana White.

“UFC President Dana White said he believes Pettis is the most talented fighter in the sport,” Iole wrote. “If White has anything to say about it, Pettis will soon become a household name.”

Unfortunately for White’s prediction, Rafael dos Anjos used his time in the limelight to ruin that moment. The win came in such a way that will surely slow any rise to fame that Pettis was expected to enjoy.

This doesn’t mean that Pettis cannot rebuild himself into a superstar in the sport. The 28-year old fighter still boasts an 18-3 record and should be considered one of the best lightweights in the sport. Injuries have hampered much of his career, but he knows that staying active can remove that perception.

“Basically, I have to go out there every couple of months and keep fighting the top guys and winning the fights the way I have been and you’ll see my star power go up,” Pettis said in Iole’s Yahoo Sports piece.

It will be interesting to see what happens next now that ‘Showtime’ is no longer the champion. There are a number of viable fights for him within the lightweight division. If he can dispatch of multiple foes while adding to his list of spectacular finishes, the UFC will find a way to market him into a star. Still, Rafael dos Anjos completely derailed his momentum. Pettis may have the look and style to become a crossover star for mixed martial arts, but fans, the promotion and the fighter alike will have to wait for that moment to occur.

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UFC 185 Results: Complete Winners List and Breaking Down Biggest Victories

Rafael dos Anjos earned a victory by unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 185 Saturday night. The event, which took place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, featured a pair of title changes and some dominant showings….

Of course, “dominant” is a relative term in a promotion that features Ronda Rousey. She won in just 14 seconds at UFC 184. Nobody was able to replicate that level of success, but a lot of fighters did take a step forward with an impressive effort.

So let’s check out a complete list of winners from the latest UFC showcase. That’s followed by a breakdown of some of the biggest wins from the card.

UFC 185 Results

Most Notable Victories

Rafael dos Anjos Defeats Anthony Pettis

Dos Anjos has enjoyed a steady rise over the past couple of years. Yet, even following wins over Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz, it was hard to expect the ease with which he dismantled Pettis. He attacked from the outset and never left an opening for the champion to mount a comeback bid.

That aggressive mindset, which is often absent during a fighter’s first shot at a title, seemed to catch Pettis off guard. Afterward, the new titleholder sent out a message on social media directed toward his opponent on Saturday night:

That’s a classy, respectful response when he had every right to become boisterous. He put together the best, most well-rounded performance of his career at the perfect time. The question now is exactly how good he can be given the comfort zone he’s seemingly found.

Damon Martin of Fox Sports notes UFC President Dana White confirmed Dos Anjos will have his first defense against either Donald Cerrone or Khabib Nurmagomedov. The latter is the only person to defeat him in his past 10 bouts. That would make for an intriguing encounter.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk Defeats Carla Esparza

Jedrzejczyk came into the night unbeaten through eight career fights. Battling Esparza for the title was by far her most important bout to date, though. And just like Dos Anjos, she rose to the occasion in impressive fashion.

She fended off numerous takedown attempts by the champion. Then she used her power to take control before eventually earning the knockout in Round 2. Bas Rutten of Fuel TV was clearly enamored with the performance:

Jedrzejczyk presents an interesting puzzle for opponents. She’s strong defensively, and her ability to quickly turn defense into offense poses a lot of problems. Esparza obviously didn’t have nearly enough answers.

The Polish rising star joins Rousey as the promotion’s two women’s champions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they both enjoy extended title reigns, with the bantamweight champ already five one-sided fights into hers.

Alistair Overeem Defeats Roy Nelson

Overeem was at a crossroads after a first-round loss to Ben Rothwell last September. It marked his third defeat in four outings, and at age 34, it wasn’t clear whether he’d ever regain top form. At the very least, he’s back trending in the right direction.

Following a knockout of Stefan Struve in December, he was in control throughout against Nelson to score the win by unanimous decision. Dave Sholler, UFC’s vice president of public relations, points out the win has brought The Reem back into the heavyweight conversation:

He definitely looked more like the fighter who went 12 straight fights without a loss before the skid that raised questions about his future. Now he must continue to make progress as he seeks more opportunities in the division.

Overeem isn’t at the point where he deserves a title shot quite yet. Perhaps a few more wins against other top contenders would change that outlook. For now, he should be satisfied with the improvements he’s made in the past few months.

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Pettis vs. Dos Anjos Results: Analyzing Performance of UFC 185 Headliners

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 BestFightOd…

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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Pettis vs. Dos Anjos: Result, Keys and Highlights from UFC 185 Main Event

Almost no one saw this coming. On Saturday night in Dallas at UFC 185, Rafael dos Anjos dethroned UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis by unanimous decision, and it wasn’t even close.
Pettis had stood up to the challenge from Gilbert Mele…

Pettis had stood up to the challenge from Gilbert Melendez at UFC 182 in Dec. 2014. Some likened dos Anjos‘ style to Melendez’s and figured Pettis would win this fight as he had the last. That wasn’t the case.

Dos Anjos won all five rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

Per Damon Martin of Fox Sports, dos Anjos did it all at less than 100 percent.

Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com captured this quote from dos Anjos after the big win.

“I came from the bottom,” the new lightweight champ said. “I couldn’t ever imagine in my life being here, fighting in a main event and being UFC champion.”

There were three huge keys to dos Anjos‘ title-winning performance.

Chin

When Pettis fought Melendez, the champion was able to catch the challenger coming in by landing hard right-hand counters. The punch led to Pettis‘ submission victory on that night. On Saturday, he landed similar shots and two head kicks, but dos Anjos shrugged them off.

It had to be demoralizing for Pettis to land shots that had little effect on his hard-charging opponent. Pettis probably figured the punches would stem the tide, but instead, dos Anjos kept pushing forward while sticking to his game plan.

Striking Accuracy

The left hand of dos Anjos was money all night, and the same can be said about his entire striking game. Dos Anjos landed 90 of 171 significant strikes for a connect rate of 53 percent.

Dos Anjos was unpredictable in his approach. He’d land the left hook, briefly look to follow up, but he’d then sink down to secure the takedown. It proved to be a winning strategy.

Stamina

With all the pressure dos Anjos was applying, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he was tired during the championship rounds. Instead, dos Anjos maintained his torrid pace throughout.

Dos Anjos had four takedowns in the championship rounds and still landed 24 of 40 significant strikes. He just wouldn’t let up, and the effort won him the title.

Stats per UFC.com.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

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