Lightweight Championship Fight Rafael dos Anjos def. Anthony Pettis

Well, that was certainly surprising. Rafael dos Anjos made the absolute most of his UFC 185 title shot against Anthony Pettis, dominating him over a full 25 minutes to take a unanimous decision and the title belt in the process. Dos Anjos was truly a complete fighter - he scored a gaggle of takedowns, connected with very hard kicks and punches, and was just at a different level. Dos Anjos becomes the first UFC Brazilian lightweight champion with the win, and he did it in amazing fashion.Pettis and Dos Anjos traded kicks to open the fight. Pettis coming out first with a pair before Dos Anjos took over as the aggressor. Dos Anjos caught a punch from Pettis but responded with a big jab to the chin that seemed to rock Pettis a bit. Pettis held on and weathered the Dos Anjos pressure, going for a flying knee at one point. Pettis failed with a spinning back kick as he circled the outside of the Octagon. Pettis seemed to settle in and land some combinations, but caught another hard shot from Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos came to Pettis to start the round but Pettis landed some shots, seeming to try and avoid being held to the outside along the fence. Dos Anjos got Pettis in the corner and looked for a clinch, before abandoning and trying for the take down. Dos Anjos locked in the double under hooks and went for a knee. Then there were body kicks, which slammed repeatedly into Pettis’ flank. When Pettis countered with high kicks that had knocked out previous opponents, dos Anjos took them and kept forward pressure. Even on the ground, though, Pettis offered few problems for dos Anjos, who landed nine of 10 takedowns and worked effectively with ground and pound while on top. Pettis, who boasts five submission wins in the UFC and now-defnct WEC, was unable to scoot his hips to create an angle for an armbar or triangle. Meanwhile, he took countless elbows and punches on his back. Dos Anjos lands some big punches on Pettis and walks him down against the cage. Dos Anjos looks for yet another takedown and slams Pettis down. Dos Anjos works into side control and looks to grab a kimura for the submission. Pettis clasps his hands together trying to prevent it from being extended. Pettis gets out of trouble and returns to his feet. They trade low kicks and Dos Anjos moves in for another takedown. He gets it and Pettis has three and a half minutes left in his title run. Dos Anjos works his way into side control. Pettis stands back up halfway through the round but Dos Anjos maintains the clinch. Dos Anjos dumps Pettis right back down. Rafael dos Anjos def. Anthony Pettis unanimous decision .