The former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has seen a sharp fall from grace in recent years. He was the champion of the world during an incredible 5-match winning streak, which included impressive wins over the likes of Nate Diaz and Benson Henderson.
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He then bested the former champion in Anthony Pettis to capture the belt in 2014 and defended it against Donald Cerrone. However, he lost the belt to Eddie Alvarez and never got close to gold since then.
Currently ranked #7 in the official UFC lightweight rankings, he is still among the elites of the division.
Lightweight division it’s a shark tank, can’t wait to see what’s next for me. I’m healing up...can’t wait to be back in action. Congrats to the new champ! Amazing performance btw.
In a tweet uploaded on his Twitter account, dos Anjos admitted that the division was a shark tank and sh0wed some excitement for his future. “Lightweight division it’s a shark tank, can’t wait to see what’s next for me. I’m healing up…can’t wait to be back in action,” he said.
However, he didn’t stop there and praised the new champion, Charles Oliveira, for his incredible 2nd-round knockout win over Michael Chandler. “Congrats to the new champ! Amazing performance btw,” he concluded.
Oliveira overcame Chandler in the 2nd round after the first was dominated by the American. It looked like Chandler had rocked the Brazilian and even had him in a guillotine choke for a while.
However, Oliveira battled through and finished Chandler with ground strikes to become the 11th UFC Lightweight Champion of the world.
Rafael dos Anjos and his last fight against Paul Felder
dos Anjos has some momentum by his side after he beat Paul Felder in an amazing fight that went one way and then the other. The fight earned both of them fight of the night honors, and it ended in a split decision win for the Brazilian.
It was a highly equal fight on the feet, with Felder edging dos Anjos on significant strikes, even though the Brazilian had more strikes in total. However, it was the 6 takedowns by dos Anjos that turned the tie in his favor.
