Rafael dos Anjos is set to clash against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299! The bout between the pair marks Dos Anjos’s return to the lightweight division after his previous fight at welterweight against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 78 in 2023. The Brazilian is a former UFC lightweight champion but in recent years, he has bounced around between the 155 lbs and 170 lbs division.
Ahead of the clash between Gamrot and Dos Anjos, let’s explore all we know about the setbacks suffered in his MMA career by the Brazilian. And dive deeper into the losses on his record both inside and outside the UFC, with a look at his winning streaks as well!
Rafael dos Anjos’s UFC losses
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According to the information available on Tapology, Rafael dos Anjos holds a record of 21-13 inside the UFC. The Brazilian debuted at UFC 91 in 2008 after a solid run in the regional circuits that saw him amass a record of 11-2.
His debut fight was also his first defeat in the promotion. He suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Jeremy Stephens in the third round with a vicious uppercut.
Other than Stephens, dos Anjos has lost to Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Eddie Alvarez, Tony Ferguson, Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, Michael Chiesa, Rafael Fiziev and Vicente Luque in the UFC.
Rafael dos Anjos’s losses outside the UFC
Before being given a shot at competing in the UFC, Rafael Dos Anjos fought primarily in his home country of Brazil. But he also had one fight in Japan for the ‘Pancrase’ promotion. According to information available online, he lost his debut fight in MMA against Adriano Abu in Brazil via a split decision in 2004.
He won his next two fights before suffering another defeat at the hands of Jorge Britto, losing via a split decision in 2006. The Brazilian then went on a winning streak that saw him win 9 fights straight before receiving a call from the UFC.
Rafael dos Anjos’s winning streaks
Other than the aforementioned 9-fight win streak outside the UFC, Rafael Dos Anjos has also managed to secure multiple win streaks in his UFC career and even held the UFC lightweight championship at one point in time.
His first win streak inside the UFC began after his loss to Tyson Griffin where he won his next 3 fights before losing to Clay Guida at UFC 117. He then rebounded with a win before dropping another fight to Gleison Tibau.
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The loss then marked the beginning of his next win streak which lasted for 5 fights, before he ran into a young Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2014 and lost the bout against ‘The Eagle’. This led to him bouncing back with another win-streak of 5 fights during which he defeated Anthony Pettis for the lightweight strap at UFC 185 in 2015.
The last winning streak of his career began after his loss to Tony Ferguson in 2016, where the Brazilian won his next 3 fights, including a notable win against Robbie Lawler in 2017.
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Since then, he has faced a tumultuous career that has seen him fail to secure more than 2 wins in a row, and with his upcoming clash against Mateusz Gamrot, fans eagerly await his performance at UFC 299, hoping to witness the resurgence of a seasoned veteran in the sport.
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