UFC on Fox 26 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Lawler vs Dos Anjos Card

Rafael dos Anjos (left) kicks Robbie LawlerJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

We have a new contender in the welterweight division. After his magnificent unanimous decision win over the brilliant—if increasingly shopworn—Robbie Lawler, Rafael Dos Anjos could be poised to fight for a second UFC title.

Despite Dos Anjos' reputation as the supreme pressure fighter, it was Lawler who first seized the center of the Octagon. I guess that shouldn't have surprised anyone—it was almost if Lawler took offense to the notion that someone on Planet Earth could be considered more aggressive than he is. Action was relatively tentative from there, although what offense did land was full of malice. Subtler attacks like leg kicks and clinch control from Dos Anjos were factors right alongside Lawler's typically furious punch flurries.

In the second both men opened up, with lots of punches landed for both sides. The capstone was what broadcaster Jon Anik stated on the air was a 23-second series of punches by Dos Anjos against Lawler along the fence. Dos Anjos mercilessly pummeled both the head and midsection of Lawler, who was rolling admirably with the shots but still absorbed quite a large amount of damage.

What did Lawler do after that seemingly endless beating finally subsided? He smiled.

Both men were tired in the third, with grueling clinch work and digs to the body speeding up the process. With about a minute left, a short elbow-hook combination from Dos Anjos sent Lawler reeling, with Dos Anjos pushing him to the mat and jumping on top for the rest of the round.

As sad as his fans may find it, over the past two rounds Lawler showed his age. Fatigued and carrying obvious knee damage, Lawler was forced into docility, accepting certain positions and flagging in his aggression as Dos Anjos poured on the punishment. Dos Anjos' leg kicks were out in full force. Lawler sought the counter, but it just wasn't there. That signature, terrifying power kept Dos Anjos honest, though. That will likely be the case for as long as Lawler wishes to compete.

In the end, though, the judges all rightly saw it 50-45 for Dos Anjos, who is ranked fourth in the official UFC rankings. With No. 1 contender Stephen Thompson having lost one bout and drawn another one in two uninspiring dates with champ Tyron Woodley, could Dos Anjos be one win away from becoming a two-division champ?

"I was confident of my conditioning. I feel like he have a pretty tough head," the Brazilian told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight, before later saying "in my opinion, I just beat the toughest guy in the division. I think I deserve [the next title shot] because of my history."

With the current UFC title picture—welterweight and otherwise—being dictated by a cluster bomb of interim belts and money fights and boxing rumors, you never know what could happen next. Plus, Woodley has signed up for shoulder surgery that will keep him out for several months.

But if you do something crazy and go by pure logic and merit, Woodley's next opponent is Rafael Dos Anjos.