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Rafael dos Anjos: 5 Defining Moments
- Updated: November 1, 2016
No one foresaw his rise to power in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.Rafael dos Anjos transformed himself from borderline-journeyman to pound-for-pound A-lister with a remarkable 11-fight run — he went 10-1, losing only to Khabib Nurmagomedov — from May 15, 2012 to Dec. 19, 2015. Honing his skills under Kings MMA mastermind Rafael Cordeiro, he paired a sharpened standup attack with world-class grappling ability and entered his 30s as one of MMA’s premier fighters. Dos Anjos was no stranger to adversity, but he offset disappointing losses to Jeremy Stephens, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida and Gleison Tibau with high-profile victories over Donald Cerrone (twice), Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis. The 32-year-old Brazilian will be back inside the Octagon on Nov. 5, as he meets Tony Ferguson in the UFC Fight Night 98 headliner in Mexico City.In a career with its share of defining moments, here are five that stand out:1. Gold Digger Dos Anjos had an answer for everything Pettis threw his way, as he became the seventh lightweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history and earned a surprisingly one-sided unanimous decision over “Showtime” in the UFC 185 headliner on March 14, 2015 in Dallas. All three judges scored it the same: 50-45 for dos Anjos. Pettis was on his heels from the start. Dos Anjos bottled up the Roufusport star with merciless forward pressure on the feet and a continuous stream of takedowns across 25 minutes. The Brazilian made few mistakes. Dos Anjos bashed the Milwaukee native with left hands throughout the five-round fight, leaving him with serious damage to his right eye. He was the superior fighter in all phases: According to FightMetric figures, dos Anjos connected on 144 strikes, 90 of them significant, and was successful on nine of his 10 takedown attempts. He passed the Pettis guard five times, moving to his back in the third, fourth and fifth rounds. The loss halted Pettis’ run of five straight victories and left a new man in charge of the lightweight division.2. …
