After 17 fights inside the Octagon, and a UFC career spanning seven years, Rafael dos Anjos is the lightweight champion of the world. He rocked Anthony Pettis early with a punch that caused him to lose sight in his right eye, and he kept an unrelenting amount of pressure on Pettis en route to a unanimous-decision victory in UFC 185’s main event. And he did it with a torn MCL, as per SB Nation's Anton Tabuena.
The night’s other newly crowned champ, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, didn’t need the judges to award her the victory, as she finished Carla Esparza with a Wanderlei-esque barrage on the feet in the second round.
The two new champs weren’t the only fighters to perform impressively at UFC 185, as Alistair Overeem and Johny Hendricks were victorious in their main card fights, and “Irish” Joe Duffy put the lightweight division on notice with his first-round dismantling of Jake Lindsey.
There was a lot to love about UFC 185, and the show will undoubtedly have lasting implications. Let’s take a look back at what went down at UFC 185 with The Reaction.
Welcome to the (dos Anjos) Show
The UFC lightweight division is a dangerous place. The title has changed hands several times over the past few years, and it did so again at UFC 185. The road that dos Anjos has taken to become UFC champion included back-to-back losses to start his UFC career. He went 4-4 in his first three years fighting for the UFC. He was seen as anything but a future champion.
He has quietly been improving his game over the last few years, and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt has vastly upgraded his striking game under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA.
The overall MMA game that was on display from dos Anjos at UFC 185 was leaps and bounds ahead of where he was when he first stepped inside the Octagon in 2008. He stifled the offense of Pettis with hard kicks to the body and big power shots.
Dos Anjos gave us fair warning of what he was capable of going into this fight, and a lot of people (myself included) still chose to overlook him. He had won eight of his nine fights coming into UFC 185, and his assent to the title included plenty of wins over high-level competition.
He knocked out Benson Henderson and won impressive unanimous decisions over Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz. Pettis ended up being no match for the Brazilian. Dos Anjos was throwing some serious heat throughout the entire fight and was much stronger and more adept on the mat than Pettis.
He was truly the superior fighter, and he welcomed all of us to the Rafael dos Anjos show. Just how long the show will last is another story.
Pettis will now have to go back to the drawing board and take on a few Top 10 lightweights before he gets a chance to reclaim his title. Fights with Michael Johnson or Edson Barboza would be nice for Pettis to start his climb back to the top.
Dos Anjos will now wait for the winner of Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 187 in May. If Nurmagomedov emerges victorious, we may see yet another title change before the year is out, as “The Eagle” dominated the new champ in their first encounter last April.
Joanna Champion
In the lead-up to her strawweight title fight with Carla Esparza, the Polish striker exuded confidence, and on Saturday night we found out why. Jedrzejczyk woman-handled Carla Esparza at UFC 185, defending every takedown attempt and absolutely lighting her up on the feet.
She proved to be too much for the UFC’s inaugural strawweight champion, and she finished the fight with a vicious barrage in the second round that caused Esparza to collapse in the referee’s arms upon the stopping of the match.
UFC 185 was the true coming out party for Joanna “Champion”, and she put an end to Esparza’s title reign in emphatic fashion. Her 60-fight background in muay thai and superb takedown defense will be very problematic for the rest of the newly established UFC women’s strawweight division. I’m excited to see her defend her title, as challengers like Joanne Calderwood and Tecia Torres present interesting matchups.
Cejudo is on the Path to Gold…Again.
In a flyweight landscape where Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has vanquished every foe put in front of him with relative impunity, fresh challengers are always welcome. So welcome, in fact, that some guys wind up opposite the cage from Mighty Mouse before they are ready. The UFC shouldn’t make that mistake with Cejudo.
He dominated Chris Cariaso for the entire three-round affair, and he said post-fight that he was a bit fatigued from the weight cut. He didn’t look very fatigued, but if he felt less than 100 percent in that fight, imagine how he’ll look if he actually masters the cut to 125 pounds.
The UFC will most likely give him one or two more fights before a fight with Johnson, but timing may necessitate a quick ascension to a title shot for the Olympic gold medalist. He may end up facing Mighty Mouse before he hits his true stride as a mixed martial artist, or he may rise to the occasion and be the man to take the title from Johnson. A fight with someone like Ian McCall or Joseph Benavidez would give us a clear idea of whether or not Cejudo is ready for the champ.
The Irish Invasion Continues
Known most notably for being the last man to defeat UFC title challenger Conor McGregor, Joseph Duffy’s reputation preceded him going into UFC 185. He submitted McGregor in under a minute in 2010, and all but one of his 13 victories came by way of a stoppage. All but one of those stoppages came in the first round.
Duffy didn’t waste any time in his UFC debut, finishing Jake Lindsey in the first round. Every strike he threw was precise and efficient, yet still powerful enough to bring about the finish fairly quickly. The rib roaster at the end was too much for Lindsey, and now Duffy might be setting his sights on the featherweight division, as Duffy's coach Firas Zahabi told UFC commentator Joe Rogan (h/t MMAJunkie.com's Dann Stupp and John Morgan).
Whichever division Duffy fights in next, he is a welcome addition to the UFC roster and the latest Irishman to impress on the big stage.
What to Make of Benoit’s Butt-Kick
In the Fight Pass prelim portion of UFC 185, Pettis' younger brother Sergio took on Ryan Benoit. Pettis was looking like the better fighter in the first round, staying composed and avoiding the wild punches Benoit was throwing. Midway through the second round, that all changed.
Benoit landed a powerful looping hook that floored Pettis, and he rushed in for the finish. Pettis turtled up but Benoit kept pouring on big punches on the mat, and the referee jumped in to stop the attack. But right as he was getting up, Benoit added insult to injury by soccer-kicking Pettis while he was down.
— MolesyMMA (@MolesyMMA) March 14, 2015
The crowd caught it on the replay and the arena filled with boos for Benoit’s momentary lapse in anything resembling good judgment. Benoit was immediately apologetic, and that is what seemingly got him off the hook for his egregious behavior.
There’s no excuse for putting your hands on your opponent after the fight ends, or for landing a cheap and disrespectful kick after you’ve just won. Punishments for unsportsmanlike conduct vary by jurisdiction and are arbitrary to say the least. Just ask Johnny Eduardo, who was suspended for 30 days by the Ohio Athletic Commission for throwing his mouthpiece into the crowd after his victory at Fight Night Cincinnati last May.
