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?
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
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time |
| Loss | 32–15 | Vicente Luque | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos | August 12, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 32–14 | Bryan Barberena | Submission (neck crank) | UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland | December 3, 2022 | 2 | 3:20 |
| Loss | 31–14 | Rafael Fiziev | KO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev | July 9, 2022 | 5 | 0:18 |
| Win | 31–13 | Renato Moicano | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 272 | March 5, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 30–13 | Paul Felder | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos | November 14, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 29–13 | Michael Chiesa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos | January 25, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 29–12 | Leon Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards | July 20, 2019 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 29–11 | Kevin Lee | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee | May 18, 2019 | 4 | 3:47 |
| Loss | 28–11 | Kamaru Usman | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale | November 30, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 28–10 | Colby Covington | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 225 | June 9, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 28–9 | Robbie Lawler | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos | December 16, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 27–9 | Neil Magny | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 215 | September 9, 2017 | 1 | 3:43 |
| Win | 26–9 | Tarec Saffiedine | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia | June 17, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 25–9 | Tony Ferguson | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson | November 5, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 25–8 | Eddie Alvarez | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez | July 7, 2016 | 1 | 3:49 |
| Win | 25–7 | Donald Cerrone | TKO (punches) | UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 | December 19, 2015 | 1 | 1:06 |
| Win | 24–7 | Anthony Pettis | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 185 | March 14, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 |
| Win | 23–7 | Nate Diaz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic | December 13, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 22–7 | Benson Henderson | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos | August 23, 2014 | 1 | 2:32 |
| Win | 21–7 | Jason High | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov | June 7, 2014 | 2 | 3:36 |
| Loss | 20–7 | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne | April 19, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 20–6 | Donald Cerrone | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 | August 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 19–6 | Evan Dunham | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold | May 18, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 18–6 | Mark Bocek | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 154 | November 17, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 17–6 | Anthony Njokuani | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fuel TV: Muñoz vs. Weidman | July 11, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 16–6 | Kamal Shalorus | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | May 15, 2012 | 1 | 1:40 |
| Loss | 15–6 | Gleison Tibau | Decision (split) | UFC 139 | November 19, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 15–5 | George Sotiropoulos | KO (punch) | UFC 132 | July 2, 2011 | 1 | 0:59 |
| Loss | 14–5 | Clay Guida | TKO (jaw injury) | UFC 117 | August 7, 2010 | 3 | 1:51 |
| Win | 14–4 | Terry Etim | Submission (armbar) | UFC 112 | April 10, 2010 | 2 | 4:30 |
| Win | 13–4 | Kyle Bradley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz | January 11, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Win | 12–4 | Rob Emerson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 103 | September 19, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 11–4 | Tyson Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann | April 1, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 |
| Loss | 11–3 | Jeremy Stephens | KO (punches) | UFC 91 | November 15, 2008 | 3 | 0:39 |
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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