Most people don’t remember Rafael dos Anjos’ early career in the UFC. It could be because it happened all of seven years ago, during the “Boom of Brock” that captivated MMA fans way more than it should have.
More likely, though, the reason you don’t remember Dos Anjos’ UFC debut is because he was knocked out cold by Jeremy Stephens. You could chalk it up to UFC jitters, the nervousness that accompanies any fighter’s debut on the biggest stage in MMA, but dos Anjos lost his next fight too.
Beginning your UFC career at 0-2 is a foreboding start, especially in the shark tank that is the lightweight division. Many fighters would have been cut from the promotion after such a lackluster showing, but Zuffa brass must have seen something we all missed back then.
Now, with 19 UFC appearances under his belt and a world title in one of the deepest divisions in the sport, dos Anjos has finally arrived. Except, no one seems to have noticed.
Despite his five post fight bonus awards and wins over the last two men to hold the belt at 155lbs, dos Anjos is one of the least talked about champions in the UFC.
The reasons, of course, are both plentiful and complicated. Of his 14 wins under the UFC banner, more than half have been lopsided decisions. While that’s not the worst finishing rate in the UFC (looking at you, Gleison Tibau), it certainly isn’t doing dos Anjos any favors with casual fans.
That’s part of the reason why dos Anjos’ performance last weekend against top contender Donald Cerrone was so important. Riding an eight fight winning streak into the bout, Cerrone was looked at as the next big thing at lightweight, and most were already planning on a showcase fight between featherweight champ Conor McGregor and Cowboy.
Dos Anjos had other plans. Needing less than 70 seconds to work, dos Anjos made a statement in his first title defense with a TKO win over Cerrone. Whether Cowboy was overlooking dos Anjos or if the champ is just that much better, is still an unknown. But the performance could wind up paying dividends for dos Anjos down the line, as more than 2.7 million viewers tuned in to watch.
Where we go from here remains a mystery. While there’s no shortage of quality challengers at lightweight, dos Anjos has already fought nearly half the fighters in the top ten. Potential rematches with both Anthony Pettis and Khabib Nurmagomedov (who holds a win over dos Anjos) could be intriguing, but neither will further establish dos Anjos as a star, and could even hurt his marketability.
While not totally unknown territory, this is a unique situation. Despite what some may think, the UFC has something special in dos Anjos. He’s one of the most well-rounded athletes on the entire roster, coupled with a seemingly endless gas tank and tight technique both standing and on the mat. He also just so happens to be one of the final two Brazilian champions left in the UFC, along with Fabricio Werdum.
Since Jose Aldo dropped his belt to McGregor earlier this month, Brazilian champions have suddenly become a commodity, and it would be foolish of the UFC not to invest back into dos Anjos.
It should be noted that none of this is lost on the champ. Though it was without the added spice of the 209, dos Anjos indicated he would be more than happy to welcome McGregor up to lightweight, though it might not be in the Irishman’s best interest.
The worst part in all of this, though, is the lack of appreciation for the baddest man at 155lbs. dos Anjos has gone through as many career ups and downs as anybody, and through sheer will and determination he went from getting tapped out by Clay Guida, to holding the belt in the UFC’s most talent-rich division.
He shouldn’t have to “beg” for anything, not a fight with McGregor, or outside sponsorships. In order to stay relevant, though, he may have no other option.
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