Ahead of UFC 196 where the current UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will defend his belt against current featherweight champion Conor McGregor, we take a look back at how Rafael has gotten to where he is today.
Leading up to UFC 185 the then champ Anthony Pettis was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and was arguably the greatest lightweight of all time. Anthony was on a four-fight finishing steak with each one being more impressive than the last, there were even talks of him being the lightweight version of Anderson Silva.
Pettis was the betting favorite and many, if not most people, looked completely past Rafael dos Anjos as a legitimate threat to the title. But on March 14th, 2015, Rafael dos Anjos put on one of the best performances the sport of MMA has ever seen.
Within the first thirty seconds of the fight dos Anjos established that he was not at all outmatched like many had predicted. Rafael pressured Pettis from bell to bell, beating him everywhere the fight went, masterfully dominating each round and establishing himself as one of the greatest fighters to be walking planet Earth today.
Now almost a year after the date he won it, Rafael dos Anjos will defend his lightweight championship against fellow champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5th. It will only be the second time in UFC history that two current champions will face off against one another and I can almost guarantee you it won’t want to miss this fight.
About Rafael dos Anjos:
Rafael Souza dos Anjos (born October 26, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division and the current UFC Lightweight Champion. He is #4 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Dos Anjos trains out of both Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, California and Evolve MMA in Singapore. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Aldo “Caveirinha” Januário. Since 2009.
About Anthony Showtime Pettis:
Anthony Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former UFC Lightweight Champion. Pettis was also the final WEC Lightweight Champion prior to the promotion being merged into the UFC. As of January 20, 2016, he is ranked as the #3 lightweight in official UFC rankings. [Source: Wikipedia]
