Rafael dos Anjos
RDA
Brazil
Out
Injury Knee
Est. Return 8/1/2025
Injury leads to third straight loss
Dos Anjos lost to Geoff Neal via TKO (knee injury) at 1:30 of Round 1 at UFC 308 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
A knee injury suffered by RDA was the direct result of the stoppage, but dos Anjos was getting beaten up badly prior to referee Mark Smith stepping in. RDA allowed both a takedown and a massive knockdown in the brief bout. He told the doctors he heard a pop in his knee when they went to check on him. Competing on his 40th birthday, this did not have the look of a short-term ailment for dos Anjos, but we'll have to see. RDA has now lost three in a row dating back to August 2023. He's running out of time, injury or not.
A knee injury suffered by RDA was the direct result of the stoppage, but dos Anjos was getting beaten up badly prior to referee Mark Smith stepping in. RDA allowed both a takedown and a massive knockdown in the brief bout. He told the doctors he heard a pop in his knee when they went to check on him. Competing on his 40th birthday, this did not have the look of a short-term ailment for dos Anjos, but we'll have to see. RDA has now lost three in a row dating back to August 2023. He's running out of time, injury or not.
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Set to face Neal
Dos Anjos will take on Geoff Neal in a welterweight bout at UFC 308 on Oct. 26, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Dos Anjos, like his opponent Neal, is reeling coming off two straight defeats. Both fighters will be desperately seeking a win, and dos Anjos will have to go earn one against a younger, taller fighter. The Brazilian fighter will look for UFC win number 21, what would be his first victory in the promotion since 2022.
Dos Anjos, like his opponent Neal, is reeling coming off two straight defeats. Both fighters will be desperately seeking a win, and dos Anjos will have to go earn one against a younger, taller fighter. The Brazilian fighter will look for UFC win number 21, what would be his first victory in the promotion since 2022.
Can't defend takedown in loss
Dos Anjos lost to Mateusz Gamrot via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30) at UFC 299 on Saturday in Miami.
ANALYSIS
Dos Anjos gave up five takedowns to Vicente Luque in his most recent bout last August, a highly concerning development considering Luque isn't known as a wrestler. Facing an opponent here in Gamrot who is known for his grappling and little else, RDA was toast. Dos Anjos had a strong first few minutes on the feet, but Gamrot planted him to the mat twice late in Round 1 and nine additional times over the course of the final ten minutes. Dos Anjos turned 39 years of age last October. He has some gas left in the tank, but the UFC is doing him no favors with the level of competition it is matching him up against. As a result, RDA is 1-3 in his past four fights and trending in the wrong direction.
Dos Anjos gave up five takedowns to Vicente Luque in his most recent bout last August, a highly concerning development considering Luque isn't known as a wrestler. Facing an opponent here in Gamrot who is known for his grappling and little else, RDA was toast. Dos Anjos had a strong first few minutes on the feet, but Gamrot planted him to the mat twice late in Round 1 and nine additional times over the course of the final ten minutes. Dos Anjos turned 39 years of age last October. He has some gas left in the tank, but the UFC is doing him no favors with the level of competition it is matching him up against. As a result, RDA is 1-3 in his past four fights and trending in the wrong direction.
Lightweight fight scheduled
Dos Anjos is scheduled to face Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight fight at UFC 299 in Miami on March 9, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Following a decision loss to Vicente Luque, dos Anjos will go back down to the weight class that made him famous. If he can beat Gamrot, dos Anjos will have an excellent chance of establish himself as an upper-echelon contender in the lightweight ranks.
Following a decision loss to Vicente Luque, dos Anjos will go back down to the weight class that made him famous. If he can beat Gamrot, dos Anjos will have an excellent chance of establish himself as an upper-echelon contender in the lightweight ranks.
Drops main event in Vegas
Dos Anjos lost to Vicente Luque via unanimous decision (46-49, 47-48, 47-48) at UFC on ESPN 51 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Entering as a very slight (-115) favorite in what was essentially a pick 'em, dos Anjos started quickly before fading. Common wisdom suggest RDA would have the grappling advantage between the two, but that turned out to most definitely not be the case. Luque managed to stave off 5-of-7 dos Anjos takedown attempts, primarily because he was the much bigger man. A natural lightweight, this is something dos Anjos is going to have to deal with every single time he competes at welterweight. He's simply too undersized for the division. It's not going to impact him against lesser competition, but it becomes a huge issue against quality opponents. Set to turn 39 years of age in late October, RDA is in a very tough spot moving forward. He's 3-4 in his past seven bouts and doesn't feel close to making a surge in any division at this point.
Entering as a very slight (-115) favorite in what was essentially a pick 'em, dos Anjos started quickly before fading. Common wisdom suggest RDA would have the grappling advantage between the two, but that turned out to most definitely not be the case. Luque managed to stave off 5-of-7 dos Anjos takedown attempts, primarily because he was the much bigger man. A natural lightweight, this is something dos Anjos is going to have to deal with every single time he competes at welterweight. He's simply too undersized for the division. It's not going to impact him against lesser competition, but it becomes a huge issue against quality opponents. Set to turn 39 years of age in late October, RDA is in a very tough spot moving forward. He's 3-4 in his past seven bouts and doesn't feel close to making a surge in any division at this point.
Luque fight re-scheduled
Dos Anjos will fight Vicente Luque at the UFC's Aug. 12 event, according to MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Initially expected to be at UFC Fight Night 225, the RDA-Luque fight will be postponed to about a month later. Now, FN225's headliner will be a bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Mayra Silva. Except for the date, nothing about dos Anjos' upcoming fight has changed. It remains a welterweight five-rounder against Luque.
Initially expected to be at UFC Fight Night 225, the RDA-Luque fight will be postponed to about a month later. Now, FN225's headliner will be a bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Mayra Silva. Except for the date, nothing about dos Anjos' upcoming fight has changed. It remains a welterweight five-rounder against Luque.