Rafael dos Anjos became the 11th Brazilian UFC champion. Remember all the achievements

Rafael (left) joined the team of champions that already has names like A. Silva (center) and J. Aldo (right). Photo: Production SUPERLUTAS (Josh Hedges/UFC)

Last Saturday (14), in Dallas (USA), Brazil gained three simultaneous UFC belts for the first time since December 2013. The feat was achieved thanks to the Niteroi native winning the lightweight titles Rafael dos Anjos, after the judges' unanimous decision victory over Anthony Pettis in the main fight of UFC 185. With the triumph, Rafael became the 11th Brazilian champion to win a belt from the largest MMA organization on the planet.

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The story began in 2002, at UFC 35, with Murilo Bustamente, who defeated Dave Menne by technical knockout in the second round to become the second champion in the history of the middleweight category. Bustamente gave up the title ten months later, to move to PRIDE, and Brazil would remain another year and a half without another champion.

In January 2004, Vitor belfort beat Randy Couture to win the light heavyweight title. In 2006, in just his second UFC fight, Anderson Silva He was the third Brazilian to hold a belt from the organization when he ran over the then title holder Rich Franklin.

In 2008, Minotauro submitted Tim Sylvia, won the interim heavyweight title and became the first athlete to hold the PRIDE and UFC belts. Next year, Lyoto Machida knocked out Rashad evans and the light heavyweight belt returned to Brazil. The title changed hands shortly afterwards, but remained on Brazilian soil, as it was the Mauritius Shogun wear a belt.

With the end of the extinct WEC, the Brazilian “gained” another champion in the UFC, as the event imported athletes and champions from the extinct organization. Therefore, when inaugurating the featherweight category in 2010, the Manauara José Aldo He was promoted to title holder, which he still holds today.

In 2011, the UFC took a huge leap in popularity when it eventually started to be broadcast live on open TV in the United States. For the debut of this great partnership, the organization promoted the long-awaited heavyweight belt fight between Junior Gypsy e Cain Velazquez. In what to date was the fight with the highest audience in the history of the event, Cigano knocked out Velasquez and became the eighth Brazilian Ultimate champion.

In 2012, Brazil achieved four simultaneous titles, at the time half of the current categories in Ultimate, a historic record. This was thanks to the triumph of Renan Barao about Urijah faber, in the fight for the interim bantamweight belt. Later, Barão would still be promoted to the status of linear champion, thanks to successive problems that removed Dominick Cruz of the octagon for almost three years.

Another fighter who also won the interim belt in his category was Fabricio Werdum, tenth Brazilian to become UFC champion. “Vai Cavalo”, as it is known, would face Cain Velazquez in Mexico in November 2014, but the American was injured weeks before the fight. The solution was then to promote a dispute between Werdum and Mark Hunt for the interim heavyweight belt. The gaucho won by technical knockout and will now try to unify the titles against Velasquez in June, also on Mexican soil.

Check out a special photo gallery with the Brazilian UFC champions below:

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