Was Rafael dos Anjos Ever Champion?

Last Modified Mar 7, 2024 16:46 GMT
Was Rafael dos Anjos ever champion?
UFC Fight Night Felder v Dos Anjos: Weigh-Ins

Rafael Souza dos Anjos (born October 26th, 1984) is a Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist competing in both the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since 2004, he has competed professionally and also once held the title of UFC Lightweight Champion. He is currently ranked #11 on their lightweight rankings.

dos Anjos revealed in a 2014 interview that he had a difficult childhood, often engaging in fights in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro. At nine years old, he started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Daniel Matheus. Following this training, dos Anjos no longer engaged in street fights.

dos Anjos spent much of his early career competing in his native Brazil. Starting off 2-2 and losing both fights via split decision, dos Anjos then won nine straight matches - six submissions included. His 11-2 regional record earned him an invite from UFC.

The former champ is currently gearing up to square off against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024.

Was Rafael dos Anjos ever champion?

Was Rafael dos Anjos ever champion?
[Image Courtesy: themirror.com]

Yes, Rafael dos Anjos was once the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Rafael dos Anjos earned the UFC Lightweight Championship by unanimous decision at UFC 185 on March 14, 2015. After the fight, dos Anjos revealed that despite torn MCL ligaments weeks earlier - he still managed an outstanding performance that earned him Performance of the Night honors as an additional bonus award.

dos Anjos made history at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015, by becoming the fastest fighter ever to successfully defend his UFC Lightweight title with an extraordinary TKO win against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, ending it just 66 seconds into round 1. As a result of this performance, he earned himself his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

dos Anjos was set to defend his lightweight title against ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016; however, due to an injury suffered during training camp on February 23rd, 2016, he, unfortunately, had to withdraw due to suffering a broken foot during this fight prep.

Who did RDA lose his belt to?

Rafael dos Anjos lost his UFC Lightweight Title to ‘The Underground King’ Eddie Alvarez. Rafael dos Anjos made his second lightweight title defense at UFC Fight Night 90 on July 7, 2016, heavily favored to defeat Eddie Alvarez with odds of three-to-one; yet, despite this advantage, he lost by TKO in the first round. Reports surfaced that prior to entering, he experienced a three-minute blackout likely caused by his rigorous weight-cut regimen.

Rafael dos Anjos’ UFC Record

ResultRecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTime
Loss32–15Vicente LuqueDecision (unanimous)UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos AnjosAugust 12, 202355:00
Win32–14Bryan BarberenaSubmission (neck crank)UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. HollandDecember 3, 202223:20
Loss31–14Rafael FizievKO (punches)UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. FizievJuly 9, 202250:18
Win31–13Renato MoicanoDecision (unanimous)UFC 272March 5, 202255:00
Win30–13Paul FelderDecision (split)UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos AnjosNovember 14, 202055:00
Loss29–13Michael ChiesaDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos SantosJanuary 25, 202035:00
Loss29–12Leon EdwardsDecision (unanimous)UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. EdwardsJuly 20, 201955:00
Win29–11Kevin LeeSubmission (arm-triangle choke)UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. LeeMay 18, 201943:47
Loss28–11Kamaru UsmanDecision (unanimous)The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters FinaleNovember 30, 201855:00
Loss28–10Colby CovingtonDecision (unanimous)UFC 225June 9, 201855:00
Win28–9Robbie LawlerDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos AnjosDecember 16, 201755:00
Win27–9Neil MagnySubmission (arm-triangle choke)UFC 215September 9, 201713:43
Win26–9Tarec SaffiedineDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. CorreiaJune 17, 201735:00
Loss25–9Tony FergusonDecision (unanimous)The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. FergusonNovember 5, 201655:00
Loss25–8Eddie AlvarezTKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. AlvarezJuly 7, 201613:49
Win25–7Donald CerroneTKO (punches)UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2December 19, 201511:06
Win24–7Anthony PettisDecision (unanimous)UFC 185March 14, 201555:00
Win23–7Nate DiazDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. MiocicDecember 13, 201435:00
Win22–7Benson HendersonKO (punch)UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos AnjosAugust 23, 201412:32
Win21–7Jason HighTKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. KhabilovJune 7, 201423:36
Loss20–7Khabib NurmagomedovDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. BrowneApril 19, 201435:00
Win20–6Donald CerroneDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2August 28, 201335:00
Win19–6Evan DunhamDecision (unanimous)UFC on FX: Belfort vs. RockholdMay 18, 201335:00
Win18–6Mark BocekDecision (unanimous)UFC 154November 17, 201235:00
Win17–6Anthony NjokuaniDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fuel TV: Muñoz vs. WeidmanJuly 11, 201235:00
Win16–6Kamal ShalorusSubmission (rear-naked choke)UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. PoirierMay 15, 201211:40
Loss15–6Gleison TibauDecision (split)UFC 139November 19, 201135:00
Win15–5George SotiropoulosKO (punch)UFC 132July 2, 201110:59
Loss14–5Clay GuidaTKO (jaw injury)UFC 117August 7, 201031:51
Win14–4Terry EtimSubmission (armbar)UFC 112April 10, 201024:30
Win13–4Kyle BradleyDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. DiazJanuary 11, 201035:00
Win12–4Rob EmersonDecision (unanimous)UFC 103September 19, 200935:00
Loss11–4Tyson GriffinDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. KampmannApril 1, 200935:00
Loss11–3Jeremy StephensKO (punches)UFC 91November 15, 200830:39

Last Updated On March 7, 2024

FAQs

A. Rafael dos Anjos has compiled an impressive 32 wins in his MMA career.

A. Rafael dos Anjos once held the coveted UFC Lightweight title.

A. Yes, Rafael dos Anjos is a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner with a black belt under his name.

A. No, dos Anjos still competes in the UFC.

A. dos Anjos holds a record of 32 wins and 15 losses.

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