Rafael dos Anjos Record: 32-17-0

Building toward a title

Dos Anjos steadily upgraded his striking and grew into a feared lightweight. A first-round knockout of George Sotiropoulos in 2011 hinted at the power he was developing, and after a setback against Gleison Tibau he reeled off wins over Kamal Shalorus, Anthony Njokuani, Mark Bocek and Evan Dunham. A 2013 decision over Donald Cerrone raised his stock, and although he lost a competitive decision to unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2014, he responded emphatically – stopping Jason High, then knocking out former champion Benson Henderson in the first round and outpointing Nate Diaz.

Lightweight championship

Dos Anjos reached the summit at UFC 185 in March 2015, dominating Anthony Pettis over five rounds to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship. He defended the belt with a first-round TKO of Cerrone in their rematch in December 2015, a statement performance over a top contender. His reign ended at the first defense in July 2016, when he was stopped in the opening round by Eddie Alvarez, and a subsequent loss to Tony Ferguson closed his lightweight title run.

Welterweight contender

Dos Anjos moved up to 170 pounds in 2017 and immediately contended, beating Tarec Saffiedine, submitting Neil Magny and outpointing former champion Robbie Lawler over five rounds. An interim-title loss to Colby Covington in 2018 and a decision defeat to future champion Kamaru Usman followed, but he remained a durable gatekeeper, later submitting Kevin Lee and returning to lightweight to beat Paul Felder and Renato Moicano.

Fighting style

Dos Anjos is among the most complete fighters of his era, blending a high-level jiu-jitsu base with chopping low kicks, sharp boxing and relentless pace. His finish breakdown reflects that balance: 11 of his wins came by submission and five by knockout, with the rest on the scorecards. He pressures opponents into the fence, mixes takedowns with volume striking, and rarely gives away rounds – though as the years wore on, the level of competition and his own punishing style produced more decision losses against the division's best.

Career highlights

• UFC Lightweight Champion — dominated Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 to win the title, then defended it with a first-round TKO of Donald Cerrone.
• Knockout of Benson Henderson — a first-round KO of the former champion in 2014 that vaulted him into title contention.
• Two-division contender — moved to welterweight and beat Tarec Saffiedine, Neil Magny and former champ Robbie Lawler to challenge for an interim title at a second weight.