Well, it’s been a trend for underdogs of late in the UFC. Tonight, on UFC Fight Pass, Eddie Alvarez defeated Rafael Dos Anjos to capture the UFC lightweight title. Join GetMoreSports as we delve into that fight, and others, with our UFC Fight Night 90 results.
It was a right hand that did it. Even though Dos Anjos had his hands up, Alvarez just managed to sneak a heavy strike around the back of the champions glove, and immediately had him on rubbery legs.
Alvarez went immediately for the kill, swarming Dos Anjos with vicious right hands, uppercuts and at one point a flying knee. Eventually, referee Herb Dean stepped in to call off the bout in the first round.
In the post fight press conference, Dos Anjos felt that it was almost unavoidable, and just a fact of life when you’re in a sport like MMA.
“No excuses, I was in the best shape of my life,” Dos Anjos said. “I want to give all the credit to Eddie, he did a great job, but I was with my hands up when I got caught. I just saw the punch [replay], and that’s the fight game man. It happens, you know.
“Congrats for Eddie, you know, he did a great job, but I think I just got caught.”
Alvarez was humble in his victory, choosing to place all the success on his training partners and coaches. He did, however, come out of his shell when a certain Irishman’s name was mentioned as a potential future opponent.
“I think by far the best lightweight in this division is Rafael Dos Anjos,” Alvarez said. “I had the better night tonight, for sure, but this can go either way. There’s great competitors and there’s real small margin for error, and if you mess up once it could have been me on the other end of that punch. [Dos Anjos] is the best in the division, so to be able to come out with a win over him, and before him was [Anthony] Pettis and before him was Gilbert [Melendez].
“I’m not taking on top 15, so I would ask Dana White, please to give me an easier fight like Conor McGregor I deserve that, I’ve been fighting the best guys, so I would like a gimme fight. So, Conor, I’d more than welcome that.”
In fact, Alvarez brought up the old argument that the UFC had been favourable to McGregor with their match making choices, and that he was yet to truly fight the best. .
“Look, there’s a lot of guys in the UFC who are good at one thing, and they get matched up stylistically well, and they make their way to the top without ever going against the best guys. The true best guys. They sneak their way around them, and live off perception. Not what really is. He’s one of them. I think he can get found out if he was ever to fight Rafael Dos Anjos, or fight myself, he’d get found out very quickly.”
The full UFC Fight Night 90 results are as follows:
Eddie Alvarez def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:49
Derrick Lewis def. Roy Nelson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alan Jouban def. Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-27)
Joseph Duffy def. Mitch Clarke via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:25
Alberto Mina def. Mike Pyle via knockout (flying knee, punches) – Round 2, 1:17
John Makdessi def. Mehdi Baghdad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Anthony Birchak def. Dileno Lopes via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Pedro Munhoz def. Russell Doane via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:08
Felipe Arantes def. Jerrod Sanders via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 2, 1:39
Gilbert Burns def. Lukasz Sajewski via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:57
Marco Beltran def. Reginaldo Vieira via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:04
Vicente Luque def. Alvaro Herrera via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 3:52
