Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael Souza dos Anjos[1] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁafaˈew duz ˈɐ̃ʒus]; born 26 October 1984) is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2004, he is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. As of April 16, 2024, he is #14 in the UFC lightweight rankings.[11]

Rafael dos Anjos
BornRafael Souza dos Anjos[1]
(1984-10-26) 26 October 1984 (age 39)
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil[2]
NationalityBrazilian
American
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionLightweight (2004–2016, 2020–present)
Welterweight (2017–2020, 2022–present)
Reach70 in (178 cm)[3]
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofHuntington Beach, California, U.S.
TeamEvolve MMA (2009–present)[4]
RDA Academy
RVCA Training Center
Kings MMA (2012–2016)[5][6]
Nova União (2020–present)[7]
Rank4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januário and Philipe "Furão" della Monica[8][9]
Black prajied in Muay Thai under Rafael Cordeiro[10]
Years active2004–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total48
Wins32
By knockout5
By submission11
By decision16
Losses16
By knockout4
By decision12
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Gold medal – first place2003 Rio de Janeiro-76 kg (Purple)
European Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Bronze medal – third place2006 Lisbon-76 kg (Black)
Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Bronze medal – third place2005 Rio de Janeiro-76 kg (Brown)
Bronze medal – third place2004 Rio de Janeiro-76 kg (Brown)

Early life

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In a 2014 interview, dos Anjos stated that he was a troubled child, getting into fights in his hometown Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.[12] He originally started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Daniel Matheus at the age of nine.[12] According to dos Anjos, he stopped fighting on the streets when he began training jiu jitsu.[12]

Mixed martial arts career

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The majority of dos Anjos' early career took place in his native country of Brazil. He started off his career with a record of 2–2, with both losses coming by way of split decision. dos Anjos then racked up 9 straight victories, which included 6 submissions. His 11–2 record in regional circuits was enough to get him a call from the UFC.[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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dos Anjos made his UFC debut at UFC 91, losing to Jeremy Stephens. The fight was stopped in the third round after an uppercut knocked out dos Anjos.[14]

For his second UFC fight, dos Anjos faced Tyson Griffin at UFC Fight Night 18. dos Anjos lost the back-and-forth battle via unanimous decision. The bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.[15]

dos Anjos was scheduled to fight Matt Wiman on 19 September 2009, at UFC 103, but due to a knee injury suffered by Wiman, he instead faced Rob Emerson.[16] dos Anjos got a much-needed win by unanimous decision.[17]

dos Anjos then defeated Kyle Bradley via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 20.[18]

At UFC 112, dos Anjos defeated Terry Etim via second round armbar submission, earning him Submission of the Night honors.[19]

dos Anjos faced Clay Guida on 7 August 2010, at UFC 117.[20] Guida appeared to injure the jaw of dos Anjos in the first round with a hook and would go on to defeat dos Anjos by submission (jaw injury) after dos Anjos tapped from the pressure being applied to his jaw while Guida had arm-and-head control.[21]

dos Anjos next faced George Sotiropoulos on 2 July 2011 at UFC 132 after replacing an injured Evan Dunham.[22] Dos Anjos showcased his vastly improved striking skills, knocking out Sotiropoulos cold in the first round with a right hand.[23]

dos Anjos faced Gleison Tibau on 19 November 2011 at UFC 139.[24] He lost the fight via split decision.[25]

dos Anjos faced Kamal Shalorus on 15 May 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier.[26] After dropping Shalorus with a head kick, dos Anjos submitted him via rear-naked choke in the first round.[27]

After taking virtually no damage in the fight against Shalorus, dos Anjos quickly returned to face Anthony Njokuani on 11 July 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman, replacing an injured Paul Taylor.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision, dominating Njokuani both in striking and grappling.[29]

dos Anjos faced Mark Bocek on 17 November 2012 at UFC 154.[30] He won the fight via unanimous decision, once again having the edge in both standup and ground fighting.[31]

dos Anjos next faced Evan Dunham on 18 May 2013, at UFC on FX 8.[32] He won the fight via unanimous decision. However, there was some controversy, as 10 out of 10 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Dunham.[33]

dos Anjos faced Donald Cerrone on 28 August 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27.[34] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[35]

dos Anjos was expected to face Rustam Khabilov on 22 February 2014 at UFC 170.[36] However, the bout was scrapped in the weeks leading up to the event. dos Anjos instead faced Khabib Nurmagomedov on 19 April 2014 at UFC on Fox 11.[37] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[38]

dos Anjos faced Jason High on 7 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42.[39] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[40]

dos Anjos headlined UFC Fight Night 49 against former lightweight champion Benson Henderson on 23 August 2014.[41] He won the fight via knockout in the first round after dropping Henderson with a flying knee and rendering him unconscious with a follow-up left hook.[42][43] The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award and made him the only man to stop Henderson by strikes.[44]

dos Anjos faced Nate Diaz on 13 December 2014, at UFC on Fox 13.[45] He won the fight by unanimous decision. He dominated the first two rounds with superior striking and vicious leg kicks with the third round being controlled by dos Anjos on the mat.[46]

UFC Lightweight Championship

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dos Anjos faced Anthony Pettis for the UFC Lightweight Championship on 14 March 2015 at UFC 185.[47] dos Anjos won the bout via unanimous decision in a dominant fashion. After the fight, dos Anjos revealed that he had torn his MCL only a few weeks before the bout.[48] The win once again earned him a Performance of the Night bonus award.[49]

For his first title defense, dos Anjos rematched Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC on Fox 17 on 19 December 2015.[50] He won the fight via TKO at just 66 seconds into the first round, resulting in the fastest finish in UFC Lightweight title history.[51] The win also earned dos Anjos his third Performance of the Night bonus award.[52]

dos Anjos was expected to face Conor McGregor on 5 March 2016 at UFC 196 for his second title defense of the lightweight belt.[53] However, it was announced on 23 February that dos Anjos had been forced out of the fight after breaking his foot during training.[54]

In his second title defense, dos Anjos faced Eddie Alvarez on 7 July 2016 at UFC Fight Night 90.[55] Despite closing as a three-to-one favorite to win the fight, he lost the bout via TKO in the first round.[56] Reports arose after the Alvarez fight that dos Anjos had passed out for three minutes moments before going out to fight, and that this was due to the effects of the gruelling weight cut.[57][58]

Post championship

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dos Anjos next faced Tony Ferguson on 5 November 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale.[59] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[60] Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.[61]

Move to Welterweight

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dos Anjos faced Tarec Saffiedine, former Strikeforce title holder, in a welterweight bout on 17 June 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia.[62] He won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).[63]

dos Anjos faced Neil Magny on 9 September 2017 at UFC 215.[64] He won the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round.[65] This win also earned dos Anjos his fourth Performance of the Night bonus award.[66]

In a title eliminator, dos Anjos faced Robbie Lawler on 16 December 2017 in the main event at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos.[67][68] dos Anjos' fight plan relied heavily on low leg kicks and constant combos consisting of body shots and leg kicks. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[69]

dos Anjos fought Colby Covington on 9 June 2018, at UFC 225 for the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship.[70] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[71]

dos Anjos faced Kamaru Usman on 30 November 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.[72] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[73]

dos Anjos faced Kevin Lee in Lee's welterweight debut at UFC Fight Night 152 on 18 May 2019.[74] He won the fight via an arm triangle submission in the fourth round.[75]

dos Anjos faced Leon Edwards on 20 July 2019 at UFC on ESPN 4.[76] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[77]

dos Anjos faced Michael Chiesa on 25 January 2020, at UFC Fight Night 166.[78] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[79]

Return to Lightweight

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dos Anjos was expected to face Islam Makhachev on 24 October 2020, in dos Anjos' return to the lightweight division at UFC 254.[80] However, on 8 October it was reported that dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19 and he was removed from the bout.[81] The pairing was left intact and rescheduled for 14 November 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos.[82] However, on 8 November it was reported that Makhachev was forced to pull from the event due to injuries.[83] On a quick turnaround, it was announced that Paul Felder stepped up to replace Makhachev on five days notice.[84] Simultaneously, dos Anjos signed a new six-fight contract with the UFC and committed to compete in the lightweight division.[85] dos Anjos went on to defeat Felder via split decision.[86] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night awards.[87] The bout with Makhachev was rescheduled and was expected to take place on 30 October 2021 at UFC 267.[88] However, yet again, dos Anjos was forced to pulled from the event, citing injury, and was replaced by Dan Hooker.[89]

dos Anjos was scheduled to face Rafael Fiziev on 19 February 2022 at UFC Fight Night 201.[90] However, the bout was postponed to UFC 272 due to visa issues with Fiziev.[91] One week before the event, Fiziev was forced to withdraw due to testing positive for COVID-19,[92] and was replaced by Renato Moicano on just 4 days notice at a catchweight of 160 pounds.[93] dos Anjos won the fight via unanimous decision.[94]

The bout against Fiziev was rescheduled for the third time for UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev on 9 July 2022.[95] He lost the fight via knockout in round five.[96]

Return to Welterweight

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dos Anjos faced Bryan Barberena in a welterweight bout on 3 December 2022 at UFC on ESPN 42.[97] He won via neck crank in the second round. From this bout, Dos Anjos surpassed Frankie Edgar for longest fight time and is the first fighter to reach 8 hours of fight time in UFC history.[98]

dos Anjos was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on 15 July 2023 at UFC on ESPN 49.[99] However, the pair was moved to instead fight on 12 August 2023 at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos for unknown reasons.[100] Dos Anjos lost the fight via unanimous decision.[101]

Return to Lightweight

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dos Anjos faced Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight bout on 9 March 2024 at UFC 299.[102] He lost the fight via unanimous decsion.[103]

Fighting style

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Dos Anjos is known for his aggressive, high-volume striking, physical strength, and strong takedown capabilities.[104][105] He will often come out aggressively in a Muay Thai stance, then use feints and kicks to back his opponent against the cage while swarming them with flurries of punches as well as takedowns. He is particularly noted for his left kick to the body and right hook to the head; he uses these strikes to limit his opponent's lateral movement as they attempt to get their backs away from the fence. Under trainer Jason Parillo, dos Anjos developed a refined boxing game in 2017. On the ground, he is noted for his powerful ground-and-pound, which includes punches and sharp elbow strikes.[104] In addition to his striking, dos Anjos is a high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[8]

Dos Anjos trains out of Evolve MMA in Singapore and at Team RDA in California; he formerly trained at Kings MMA but left after losing to Eddie Alvarez.[106][107][108] He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Aldo "Caveirinha" Januário.[8]

Personal life

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After receiving a broken jaw in the Guida fight, dos Anjos now has a titanium fused jaw that he claims has broken some hands of later opponents.[109] Dr. Johnny Benjamin has disagreed with dos Anjos, pointing out that the titanium plate in his jaw is measured in millimeters.[110]

Dos Anjos is a Christian.[111] Dos Anjos has three children with his wife, Cris.[112] On 20 December 2019, dos Anjos revealed on social media that he and his family are now naturalized U.S. citizens.[113]

Championships and achievements

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Submission grappling

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Brazilian jiu-jitsu[116]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
48 matches32 wins16 losses
By knockout54
By submission110
By decision1612
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss32–16Mateusz GamrotDecision (unanimous)UFC 2999 March 202435:00Miami, Florida, United StatesReturn to Lightweight.
Loss32–15Vicente LuqueDecision (unanimous)UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos12 August 202355:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win32–14Bryan BarberenaSubmission (neck crank)UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland3 December 202223:20Orlando, Florida, United StatesReturn to Welterweight.
Loss31–14Rafael FizievKO (punches)UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev9 July 202250:18Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win31–13Renato MoicanoDecision (unanimous)UFC 2725 March 202255:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesCatchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win30–13Paul FelderDecision (split)UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos14 November 202055:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesReturn to Lightweight. Fight of the Night.
Loss29–13Michael ChiesaDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos25 January 202035:00Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Loss29–12Leon EdwardsDecision (unanimous)UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards20 July 201955:00San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win29–11Kevin LeeSubmission (arm-triangle choke)UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee18 May 201943:47Rochester, New York, United States
Loss28–11Kamaru UsmanDecision (unanimous)The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale30 November 201855:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss28–10Colby CovingtonDecision (unanimous)UFC 2259 June 201855:00Chicago, Illinois, United StatesFor the interim UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win28–9Robbie LawlerDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos16 December 201755:00Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win27–9Neil MagnySubmission (arm-triangle choke)UFC 2159 September 201713:43Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaPerformance of the Night.
Win26–9Tarec SaffiedineDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia17 June 201735:00Kallang, SingaporeWelterweight debut.
Loss25–9Tony FergusonDecision (unanimous)The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson5 November 201655:00Mexico City, MexicoFight of the Night.
Loss25–8Eddie AlvarezTKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez7 July 201613:49Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesLost the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Win25–7Donald CerroneTKO (punches)UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 219 December 201511:06Orlando, Florida, United StatesDefended the UFC Lightweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win24–7Anthony PettisDecision (unanimous)UFC 18514 March 201555:00Dallas, Texas, United StatesWon the UFC Lightweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win23–7Nate DiazDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic13 December 201435:00Phoenix, Arizona, United StatesCatchweight (160.6 lb) bout; Diaz missed weight.
Win22–7Benson HendersonKO (punch)UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos23 August 201412:32Tulsa, Oklahoma, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win21–7Jason HighTKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov7 June 201423:36Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Loss20–7Khabib NurmagomedovDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne19 April 201435:00Orlando, Florida, United States
Win20–6Donald CerroneDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 228 August 201335:00Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win19–6Evan DunhamDecision (unanimous)UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold18 May 201335:00Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Win18–6Mark BocekDecision (unanimous)UFC 15417 November 201235:00Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win17–6Anthony NjokuaniDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fuel TV: Muñoz vs. Weidman11 July 201235:00San Jose, California, United States
Win16–6Kamal ShalorusSubmission (rear-naked choke)UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier15 May 201211:40Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Loss15–6Gleison TibauDecision (split)UFC 13919 November 201135:00San Jose, California, United States
Win15–5George SotiropoulosKO (punch)UFC 1322 July 201110:59Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss14–5Clay GuidaTKO (jaw injury)UFC 1177 August 201031:51Oakland, California, United States
Win14–4Terry EtimSubmission (armbar)UFC 11210 April 201024:30Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesSubmission of the Night.
Win13–4Kyle BradleyDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz11 January 201035:00Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win12–4Rob EmersonDecision (unanimous)UFC 10319 September 200935:00Dallas, Texas, United States
Loss11–4Tyson GriffinDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann1 April 200935:00Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesFight of the Night.
Loss11–3Jeremy StephensKO (punches)UFC 9115 November 200830:39Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win11–2Takafumi OtsukaDecision (split)Fury FC 6: High Voltage12 July 200835:00Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win10–2Takaichi HirayamaSubmission (armbar)Pancrase: Shining 51 June 200811:25Tokyo, Japan
Win9–2Gabriel VeigaDecision (unanimous)Fury FC 5: Final Conflict6 December 200735:00São Paulo, Brazil
Win8–2Danilo ChermanSubmission (kimura)Fury FC 4: High Voltage4 August 200723:38Teresópolis, Brazil
Win7–2Maurício SouzaSubmission (rear-naked choke)XFC Brazil29 April 200716:24Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win6–2Thiago MinuSubmission (rear-naked choke)17:28
Win5–2Johil de OliveiraSubmission (rear-naked choke)Juiz de Fora Fight 47 April 200712:50Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Win4–2Mateus TrindadeDecision (unanimous)Shooto Brazil 1124 March 200735:00Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win3–2Diogo OliveiraSubmission (armbar)Top Fighter MMA 225 October 20062N/ARio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss2–2Jorge BrittoDecision (split)Arena BH Combat4 June 200535:00Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Win2–1Felipe ArinelliTKO (doctor stoppage)Juiz de Fora Fight 226 April 20052N/AJuiz de Fora, Brazil
Win1–1João Paulo AlmeidaDecision (unanimous)Arena BH9 October 200435:00Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Loss0–1Adriano AbuDecision (split)Juiz de Fora Fight 125 September 200435:00Juiz de Fora, Brazil

[117]

Pay-per-view bouts

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NoEventFightDateVenueCityPPV buys
1.UFC 185Pettis vs. dos Anjos14 March 2015American Airlines CenterDallas, Texas, United States310,000[118]

See also

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References

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Awards and achievements
Preceded by 7th UFC Lightweight Champion
March 14, 2015 – July 7, 2016
Succeeded by