Rafael dos Anjos Reacts to Knockout Loss at UFC on ESPN 39: ‘That’s the Game’

Rafael dos Anjos liked the direction his fight against Rafael Fiziev was headed going into the final round, but that changed in a matter of seconds.

Fiziev put an emphatic stamp on the bout by dropping dos Anjos with a left hook and finishing the contest with a standing-to-ground punch 18 seconds into Round 5 in the UFC on ESPN 39 headliner at the UFC Apex on Saturday night. It was the sixth straight win for the Tiger Muay Thai product, and it was a damaging blow to dos Anjos’ hopes of making another title run at 155 pounds.

“He’s a tough dude,” dos Anjos said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I didn’t expect any less from him. I knew guys from east Europe, they’re always tough and I knew it would be a hard fight. Actually his takedown defense impressed me a little bit but I got him down in the fourth [round], hit him with the flying knee, too.

“The fight was pretty close leading up to the fifth. I think I was probably a little bit ahead of him but that’s the game. I got caught unfortunately.”

While some observers thought that referee Mark Smith was premature in stepping in to wave off the fight, dos Anjos himself did not consider it to be an early stoppage.

“I don’t think so,” dos Anjos said. “I’ve got to rewatch the tape, but I don’t think so. He won fair and square.

“I’ve got to rewatch it, and I was kind of still dizzy, but yeah it was a tough fight. Rafael was a tough opponent. I trained very hard for that fight, and I was really feeling I had my momentum, but that’s the game.”

Wrestling was a big part of dos Anjos’ game plan, but he was only able to land two of his 16 takedown attempts in the fight. However, the 37-year-old Nova Uniao representative had arguably his best round of the fight in the fourth frame, so he felt it was key to keep the pressure on against a potentially fading Fiziev. That ultimately led to his demise.

“I think I was going to the fifth, I was like, ‘I have to put the pressure,’ like my style,” dos Anjos said. “I thought he was tired, but he’s dangerous. He’s got heavy hands, and I should have more careful at the beginning of the round.”

Dos Anjos plans to rest and spend time with family before making any further decisions regarding his MMA future following an active first half of 2022.

“I fought four months ago, I fought [Renato Carneiro], now I fought Fiziev tonight and I’ve got to go back home and enjoy my family a little bit,” dos Anjos said. “I was away for 16 months and a long layoff with two knee injuries and a hernia, too. Now, it’s time to go back home and enjoy my family a little bit and see what the future holds.”