Rafael dos Anjos

Early life

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

Mixed martial arts career

The majority of dos Anjos' early career took place in his native country of Brazil. He would start off his career with a record of 2-2, with both losses coming by way of split decision. Dos Anjos would then rack up 9 straight victories, which included 6 submissions. His 11-2 record in regional circuits would be enough to get a call from the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dos Anjos made his UFC debut at UFC 91, losing to Jeremy Stephens. The fight was stopped in the third round after a vicious uppercut knocked out dos Anjos.

For his second UFC fight, dos Anjos was next given Tyson Griffin at UFC Fight Night 18. The fight was a back-and-forth battle that showcased heart, skill, and technique from both fighters but ended in a unanimous decision loss for dos Anjos. The bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.

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

Dos Anjos then defeated Kyle Bradley via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 20.

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

Dos Anjos faced Clay Guida on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117. 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.

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

Dos Anjos faced Gleison Tibau on November 19, 2011 at UFC 139. He was defeated by split decision.

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

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

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

Dos Anjos next faced Evan Dunham on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8. 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.

Dos Anjos faced Donald Cerrone on August 28, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27. Dos Anjos won via unanimous decision.

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

Dos Anjos faced Jason High on June 7, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42. He won the fight via TKO due to punches in the second round.

Dos Anjos headlined UFC Fight Night 49 against Benson Henderson on August 23, 2014. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award and made him the only man to stop Henderson by strikes.

Dos Anjos faced Nate Diaz on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13. 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.

UFC Lightweight Championship

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

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

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

In his second title defense, dos Anjos faced Eddie Alvarez on July 7, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 90. Despite closing as a three-to-one favorite to win the fight, he lost the bout via TKO in the first round. 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.

Post championship

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

Move up to welterweight

Dos Anjos faced Tarec Saffiedine, former Strikeforce title holder, in a welterweight bout on June 17, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

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

Fighting style

Dos Anjos is known for his aggressive, high-volume striking, physical strength and strong takedown capabilities. 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. On the ground he is noted for his powerful ground-and-pound, which includes punches and sharp elbow strikes. In addition to his striking, Dos Anjos is a high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Personal life

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. Dr. Johnny Benjamin has disagreed with dos Anjos, pointing out that the titanium plate in his jaw is measured in millimeters. Dos Anjos is married and has a son as well as a stepson, Rafael Filho and Gustavo. Dos Anjos is a Christian.

Championships and achievements