Rafael Dos Anjos

Overview

Thirty-seven UFC fights, 21 wins, and a lightweight career that has carried him through some of the best of his era, with the record to show how hard that road was. Rafael Dos Anjos is 21-16 in the UFC (32-18 across all promotions), and his debut came in 2008. He fights out of Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, California.

He carries a four-fight losing streak into his next bout. The longest winning streak of his UFC career is five. Both numbers belong to the same career: one built on volume and durability, with a long list of opponents who were rated among the best in the UFC at the time of the fight.

UFC Career

The start was rough. Dos Anjos lost his debut to Jeremy Stephens by TKO at 0:39 of round 3, then dropped a decision to Tyson Griffin. He rebuilt with wins over Rob Emerson, Kyle Bradley and Terry Etim, then lost by submission to Clay Guida in round 3.

The 2011 to 2012 stretch brought a first-round TKO of George Sotiropoulos and a first-round submission of Kamal Shalorus. Then came decision wins over Evan Dunham and Donald Cerrone, both strong opponents by our model's tiers. Khabib Nurmagomedov beat him by decision in April 2014.

What followed was the best run of his UFC career. He stopped Benson Henderson in round 1 of a main event, beat Nate Diaz, and won a five-round main event over Anthony Pettis. In December 2015 he finished Cerrone in the first round, a rematch win against an opponent our model tiers as elite.

After that, the pattern is one of volume against tough opposition. Dos Anjos lost main events to Eddie Alvarez (TKO, round 1) and Tony Ferguson (decision), then beat Robbie Lawler over five rounds in December 2017. Five-round losses to Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards all came against elite opponents.

The last stretch has been harder. Losses to Rafael Fiziev, Vicente Luque, Mateusz Gamrot, Geoff Neal and Alexander Hernandez make up the current four-fight skid.

Fighting Style

Rafael Dos Anjos is a hard-to-hit fighter who doesn't rely on volume to win. He absorbs fewer strikes per minute than most and defends well, while his own output and accuracy sit around the UFC average. He also goes after takedowns more often than most of the roster.

His takedown defense and submission attempts are both about average, so neither is a clear strength or weakness.

He is not only a decision grinder, even though 12 of his 21 wins went the distance. Nine came by finish: four by KO/TKO and five by submission, with five of them in the first round.

Notable Wins

• Benson Henderson — KO/TKO, round 1 (2:31), UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs Dos Anjos (2014)
• Donald Cerrone — KO/TKO, round 1 (1:06), UFC on FOX: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 (2015)
• Robbie Lawler — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night: Lawler vs. Dos Anjos (2017)
• Anthony Pettis — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC 185: Pettis vs Dos Anjos (2015)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 21-16 (9 finishes, 12 decisions)
• Professional record, all promotions: 32-18-0
• UFC debut: 2008
• Height: 5'8"; reach: 70"
• Team: Kings MMA, Huntington Beach, CA
• Born: RJ, Brazil