dos Anjos (left) won again in the UFC Singapore. Photo: Repdorução/Twitter/UFC_Brasil
Rafael dos Anjos debuted with the right foot in the UFC welterweight division (up to 77 kg.). Former lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg), the Brazilian had a tough fight, but he was physically prepared to defeat the Belgian Tarec saffiedine in the unanimous decision of the judges. The fight was on the main card of UFC Fight Night Singapore, held this Saturday morning (17), in the Asian country.
At the end of the fight, dos Anjos could not hide his satisfaction at finding his way back to victory after two consecutive defeats – he lost the lightweight belt to Eddie Alvarez, in July 2016, and was once again defeated by Tony Ferguson in November - . “I'm only 32 years old and I still have a lot to do in this division”
The fight
See too
Despite the victory, Rafael did not have an easy life in the octagon and Saffiedine was the one who started the best. The Belgian worked in the mid-range and worked with dangerous shots against the Brazilian. When dos Anjos tried to respond in kind, Tarec held the Rio fighter's leg and fell on top. On the ground, right from below, Rafael was in danger trying to lock in a Kimura (armbar), but his rival defended himself well.
From the middle of the first round, the story of the fight began to change. The Brazilian imposed his rhythm in the fight on his feet and even took down Saffiedine at the end of the partial, when he tried again to submit with an armbar.
In the second round, dos Anjos maintained the intense pace. He worked with movement and strikes in the clinch, undermining his rival's resistance. The Brazilian went as far as lassoing Tarec's neck in search of a choke, but the Belgian escaped. On the other hand, Saffiedine, who even complained about an illegal knee, simply defended himself, without posing any risks to Rafa.
The Brazilian continued to exchange intense blows in the third round. Dos Anjos worked with jab and direct combinations, which connected his rival's face on several occasions. This time however, Saffiedine managed to respond to the attacks. The Belgian landed some crosses, but without causing much danger. In the end, the three judges noted the victory of Rafael dos Anjos unanimously (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).
UFC SINGAPORE RESULTS
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight: Holly holm derrotou Beth Pitbull by knockout at 1m09s of R3;
Heavyweight: Marcin tybura derrotou Andrei Arlovski in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Welterweight Weight: Colby covington defeated Dong Hyun Kim via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-27)
Welterweight Weight: Rafael dos Anjos derrotou Tarec saffiedine in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Jon Tuck submitted Takanori Gomi with a rear naked choke at 1m12s of R1;
Heavyweight: Walt Harris defeated Cyril Asker by technical knockout at 1m44s of R1;
Feather weight: Alex Caceres defeated Rolando Dy by technical knockout (medical stoppage) 5m from R2;
Flyweight: Ulka Sasaki submitted Justin Scoggins with a rear naked choke at 3m19s of R2;
Welterweight Weight: li jingliang defeated Frank Camacho via unanimous decision (29-27, 28-27, 29-27);
Bantamweight: Russell Doane defeated Kwan Ho Kwak by technical knockout at 4:09 of R1;
Flyweight: Naoki Inoue x Carls John de Tomas in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-26, 30-26, 30-26);
Straw weight: Lucie Pudilova derrotou Ji Yeon Kim in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Comments