Rafael dos Anjos News

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

How we were able to get Robbie Lawler fighting both Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the same year is beyond our comprehension. Those are two fights anyone looked and and decided they were buying whatever card they were on immediately. Lawler and dos Anjos did not disappoint at UFC Winnipeg. It was a wild and brutal brawl that ended up with dos Anjos coming out on top with an unanimous decision. Unfortunately in the process, it looks like he injured Robbie Lawler’s knee. “The guy’s leg was destroyed. [Robbie Lawler] blew his ACL and meniscus and every other thing that’s in your knee out in like the third round. Wobbled over to the fence, laid against it, and asked [Rafael] dos Anjos to come in so they could just bang it out. Robbie Lawler went to the fifth round.” — Dana White speaking to YAHOO! Sport’s Kevin Iole.

Justin Golightly - January 3, 2018

Tyron Woodley is out recovering for his shoulder surgery, meanwhile the welterweights are all pacing back and forth to see who gets the next shot. Dana White went on record saying that the winner of Rafael dos Anjos and Robbie Lawler’s fight would get to fight Woodley for a title, after dos Anjos dominated the fight, it seemed like the next logical option. He still is campaigning for the shot while Tyron Woodley has other plans than the former lightweight champ and his boss: Georges St-Pierre, then dos Anjos. “I don’t see nobody ahead of me that deserve a next title shot, I’m former lightweight champion and I’ve been on the UFC for almost 10 years. 2017 was a great year and I’m looking forward for 2018.” — Rafael dos Anjos on Instagram.

Tom Taylor - December 19, 2017

Last Saturday night, the UFC touched down in snowy Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with UFC on Fox 26. In the card’s exciting main event, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos asserted himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders, defeating former titleholder Robbie Lawler with a dominant, unanimous decision win. Shortly after this breakthrough win, dos Anjos received a callout from fellow welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, who called him out for a title eliminator bout to establish a true number-one-contender.

Justin Golightly - December 19, 2017

Santiago Ponzinibbio stared down the Mike Perry storm and came out on top on Saturday. While Perry was unranked, it was a win over an opponent that was getting a big push from the UFC’s promotional machine. After taking out the prospect, Ponzinibbio is trying to catapult himself into huge fights. Knowing a title shot may not be possible yet, he wants the next best thing: A number one contender scrap with Rafael dos Anjos to see who gets to fight the champ when he comes back from shoulder surgery. “I know the UFC might not give me [a title shot] now because Tyron Woodley has an injured shoulder, so I think they should give me Rafael dos Anjos. Rafael dos Anjos and I should fight and the winner should fight for the title. I think this is a good match. I thought it was a good fight and good performance by Rafael dos Anjos. I like the winner of this fight, it’s nothing personal with Rafael dos Anjos. I like him, he won, but he only has three fights in this division you know. He won against Tarec Saffiedine, he is an old guy. Neil Magny is tough, but Lawler is old too and not having the best moment in his career.”

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2017

Stephen Thompson sends a message to Rafael dos Anjos following UFC on FOX 26. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos improved his welterweight record to a perfect 3-0 by earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC on FOX 26 last night in Winnipeg.

Chris Taylor - December 17, 2017

Tyron Woodley explains why he was not impressed by Rafael dos Anjos’ performance at UFC on FOX 26 in Winnipeg. The former lightweight champion, Dos Anjos, put on a masterful performance against former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC on FOX 26 last night, earning a lopsided decision victory.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2017

On Saturday night, the UFC touched down in snowy Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with UFC on Fox 26. In the card’s exciting main event, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos asserted himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders, defeating former titleholder Robbie Lawler with a dominant, unanimous decision win. Not everyone, of course, was impressed by dos Anjos’ huge win. Colby Covington – who is really the only other man with legitimate claim to a welterweight title shot – quickly took to Twitter post-fight to discredit his rival’s win.

Tom Taylor - December 16, 2017

On Saturday night, the UFC touched down in snowy Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with UFC on Fox 26. In the card’s exciting main event, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos asserted himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders, defeating former titleholder Robbie Lawler with a dominant, unanimous decision win. Relive some of the highlights of Rafael dos Anjos’ masterful defeat of Robbie Lawler in the clips below!

Justin Golightly - December 13, 2017

After back-to-back losses at lightweight and losing his UFC title, Rafael dos Anjos abandoned the division and decided to move up to welterweight. It was something he was thinking about even before his victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The experiment has been successful so far. He’s earned wins over Tarec Saffiedine and Neil Magny in a Performance of the Night. He recently opened up about his rejuvenation and upcoming bout with Robbie Lawler and is hyped up for a good old school battle between two gamers. “I can live. I can eat normal. I don’t have to have that feeling after having my meal of still being hungry. Now, if I feel hungry I can eat again if I want. […] Before, 70 to 80 percent of my camp was focused on losing weight and being stressed out about making weight. Now, I still have to cut some weight, but it’s way easier. I can have a normal life, I can enjoy my life and my training and put a hundred percent of the work into my technique and training and not just losing weight and being stressed out. It’s been a very good moment for me. I’ve been around for so long, but I’ve never been as happy as I am now.”

Justin Golightly - December 9, 2017

Colby Covington has been making a case for a shot at welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for awhile now, but it’s been more than just talk. He did end up with a win over the last title challenger in grappling guru Demian Maia. This only heated up his rampage promotional tour to make sure Woodley, and every other welterweight for that matter, knew he was the new man to beat at 170-pounds. His relentless tirade looks like it has resulted in a roster-wide blocking on social media. You can block it on twitter but the chaos sensation is sweeping the world!!! It can’t be stopped!!! pic.twitter.com/ks0T2c3AWn

Russell Ess - December 8, 2017

Big news for the UFC middleweight division was dropped late Thursday as the UFC announced that Georges St-Pierre vacated his newly captured middleweight title. With St-Pierre vacating the title, UFC interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was deemed the undisputed champion and former champ Luke Rockhold is now challenging Whittaker for the belt at UFC 221 in February. While Dana White may not be so happy about GSP’s decision to leave the middleweight division, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos praised “Rush” for his quick decision to drop his new title.

Justin Golightly - October 24, 2017

Rafael dos Anjos has gone from losing his UFC lightweight title, to being a fight away a shot at the welterweight strap in a little over a year. He’ll fight Robbie Lawler in Winnipeg to determine who’s the next number one contender to challenge Tyron Woodley. It has Fight of the Night potential all over it and definitely could go down as a classic scrap, but they’ll be no heated build-up or public insults. The way Rafael dos Anjos thinks, we shouldn’t really need that. They’ll say all they need to each other inside the Octagon. “I have to fight and get the best fight for me. The best guys are ahead of me and this new generation, they try to talk crap and attack others on social media. I’m glad to have this fight with Robbie [Lawler] because there’s no trash talk. It’s a man’s fight and that’s how I like to do it. We show our talk in the Octagon when we get locked in the cage, we talk with our fists.” 

Justin Golightly - October 13, 2017

Yesterday, we got an incredible fight announced. Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will walk into Canada to fight former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. If that wasn’t big enough, dos Anjos immediately took to Twitter and wanted it promoted to a fight for the interim welterweight title. Tyron Woodley did not agree and issued a statement shutting that business down. It looks like the UFC agreed as well, but RDA may get something just as good. Dana White says at #UFC217 presser that winner of Robbie Lawler vs RDA gets the title shot at Woodley but we all know how that goes.

Justin Golightly - October 12, 2017

More announcements are pouring in for those end of the year UFC cards. A huge one just dropped not even an hour ago, pitting former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, against former UFC welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler. It’s a fight that almost seems too good to be true. However, no sooner did we report on the fight with Rafael dos Anjos, he took to Twitter to try and up the stakes for their scrap on December 16th. Am’I the only one that thinks that this fight should be for a interim title? Since the champ is out until next year?

Justin Golightly - October 3, 2017

Rafael dos Anjos’ run in the welterweight division much like his former opponent “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone. He’s taken out Tarec Saffiedine and Neil Magny, and he’s not even close to slowing down. Kamaru Usman was campaigning for a fight with dos Anjos after destroying Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night 116. However, dos Anjos is looking to take advantage of his name and quick rise in his new division for a shot at Tyron Woodley. “I just beat the No. 6 in the division and I’m currently at No. 5, it doesn’t make any sense to fight the No. 10 [Kamaru Usman]. I understand that everyone is trying to promote themselves to get interesting fights, but I’m worried about fighters who are ahead of me. Even [Tyron Woodley]’s manager said I deserve to fight for the title. So, I don’t know why he’s worried about me.”

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2017

Shortly after his steamrolling of long-time welterweight contender Neil Magny, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos began calling for a scrap with reigning welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. “This division’s wide open; all the top-five, top-six guys in this division have lost to the champion or to the last challenger, which was Demian Maia,” dos Anjos told reporters after UFC 215 (h/t MMAJunkie.com). “(Stephen) Thompson lost twice to Woodley already. I’m the new blood in this division. I was getting ready to fight Woodley if Maia didn’t take the fight, but he ended up taking the fight. But I was getting ready for it, so here I am.”

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2017

Last night, the UFC touched down in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with UFC 215. In the co-main event of this anticipated card, former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos took his second fight at welterweight, this time battling long-time contender Neil Magny. Though Magny towered over Dos Anjos, the former lightweight champ made this one look easy. The Brazilian wasted no time grounding the fight, at which point he climbed into position to lock up an arm-triangle choke, and ultimately, the tap. Just like that, the former lightweight king is a legitimate contender in the shark-infested waters of the welterweight division.

Justin Golightly - September 9, 2017

Just on their names alone, the fight between Neil Magny and Rafael dos Anjos could have been a main event if this was a UFC on FOX card and not a pay-per-view event. With an intimidating record, Magny was at number six in the welterweight division as he welcomed dos Anjos into the weight class for his second fight. A win over Magny would be a huge statement for dos Anjos to make after moving up in weight, so that’s exactly what he went out there and did. https://twitter.com/Jonnyboy_6969/status/906729105982464001