Is Rafael Dos Anjos a Black Belt in BJJ? Ex-UFC Champ’s Fighting Style

UFC 299 is just around the corner, and some of the best fighters will compete at the event. The event will also feature Rafael Dos Anjos, who will take on Mateusz Gamrot in the lightweight division. The 39-year-old veteran currently holds a record of 32-15-0 in his fighting career and will look to get back to winning ways at UFC 299.

Anjos will have his work cut out when he takes on Gamrot, who is fresh off a victory against Rafael Fiziev. With age catching up to the former champion, ‘RDA’ will look to make the most of this opportunity. Before his much-anticipated clash, let us inspect his fighting style.

A detailed analysis of the fighting style of ‘RDA’

39-year-old Rafael Dos Anjos has had a career full of ups and downs. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Anjos always found ways to get into fights. However, he channeled himself in the right direction after enrolling in mixed martial art classes. Before his move to the UFC, he primarily competed in his hometown and held an impressive record of 11-2. He then attained a black belt in Brazilian-Jiu Jitsu under the guidance of Aldo ” Caveirinha” Januario de Oliviera. In 2008, the promotion enlisted ‘RDA’ after seeing some consistent performances in Brazil. However, he struggled to kick-off his career in the UFC and lost his first two fights.

His loss raised some serious questions about his stay at the UFC. The Brazilian then pulled up his socks and delivered some outstanding performances inside the Octagon. His consistent performances earned him a title shot against Anthony Pettis and he grabbed the opportunity by defeating him via unanimous decision. ‘RDA’ then successfully defended his title against Donald Cerrone before losing it to Eddie Alvarez in the following match. The 39-year-old was then scheduled to face Conor McGregor in his career. However, that fight never happened because of an injury. But what injury forced him to pull out of a fight against ‘The Notorious’?

How Rafael Dos Anjos missed the opportunity to face Conor McGregor

It was the year 2016 and ‘RDA’ was all set to take on Conor McGregor for a title fight at UFC 296. The pair was supposed to lock horns for the first time in their career and the fans were super excited for the fight. However, the fight never happened as the former champion pulled out of it because of a foot injury. Since then the Brazilian is yet to face the Dubliner who has risen to great heights in the last 5-6 years. Ariel Helwani was the first to report about the injury and said, “According to multiple sources, dos Anjos suffered a broken foot late last week, forcing him to pull out of the lightweight title fight against McGregor,”

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McGregor then went on to become a two-division champion and achieved great success in his UFC career. Anjos will now feature at UFC 299 and would like to cement his place as a title contender. The 39-year-old recently showed his willingness to face McGregor in order to settle their differences. However, the Brazilian should now focus on his next opponent as a loss against him might ruin his chances of becoming a lightweight champion. Who do you think will win the fight at UFC 299? Let us know in the comments below.

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