Ending a scintillating night in scintillating fashion, Rafael dos Anjos shocked the world at UFC Fight Night 49 when he starched former lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the first round.
A wild haymaker connected out of a scramble and sent Henderson flailing to the mat, where follow-up blows completed what was academic at that point.
The win is unquestionably the biggest of dos Anjos' career and it's a crippling loss for Henderson. For fans though, it was an explosive cherry on top of a night of equally enjoyable action across the board.
What We'll Remember About This Fight
The sight of Henderson, triumphant so many times and in so many ways during his lengthy run at the top of the heap, stopped so violently. For all the times he eked out a win on a set of scorecards, his greatest loss came in a manner that left absolutely no doubt.
What We Learned About Benson Henderson
That's he's beatable.
Aside from Anthony Pettis, no one could really claim to have proven that with any proper sincerity at this stage in the game. On Saturday night in Tulsa, dos Anjos did just that.
There've been cracks in the foundation at times and wins that only narrowly avoided being losses, but this was the first time in a long time that someone truly beat Henderson outside of Pettis.
That's a serious feather in the Brazilian's cap.
What We Learned About Rafael dos Anjos
That he's for real.
His skills have been quietly coming along for a while now, and he's the perfect blend of power and technique. With a standup arsenal that's gone from nonexistent to genuinely threatening over the past few years, it's time to consider him one of the very best lightweights on Earth.
What's Next for Henderson
A trip back to the ol' drawing board, most likely. When he emerges from some time spent pondering this debacle, he may be looking to get into a fight with someone like Bobby Green or Myles Jury, or even a rematch of his heavily questioned win over Josh Thomson from earlier this year.
What's Next for dos Anjos
Only the very best from here on out.
He recently lost to the injured Khabib Nurmagomedov, but perhaps a fight against Eddie Alvarez, should he be successful in his UFC debut next month, could make some sense for later this year.
