UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos. March 14, 2015. American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas. Rafael dos Anjos won the UFC Lightweight Championship by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) over defending champion Anthony Pettis. It was one of the biggest upsets in LW title history. Dos Anjos scored nine takedowns, outlanded Pettis 90-54 in significant strikes, and fractured his orbital bone in the process.
In the co-main event, Joanna Jędrzejczyk won the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship by stopping TUF 20 winner Carla Esparza in the fifth round. It was the beginning of one of the most dominant title reigns in the sport’s history.
Post-fight, dos Anjos revealed he had been fighting with a torn MCL sustained in training weeks before the bout. Pettis was sidelined for six weeks with the fractured orbital. Henry Cejudo — 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medallist — also fought on the card, beating Chris Cariaso in his path toward the FW championship.
Contents
Quick Stats
Date: March 14, 2015
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
PPV: 310,000 buys
Main Event: Anthony Pettis (c) vs. Rafael dos Anjos — UFC LW Championship
Result: dos Anjos def. Pettis — UD (50-45 x3) — new LW Champion; 9 TDs; dos Anjos had torn MCL; Pettis fractured orbital
Co-Main: Joanna Jędrzejczyk def. Carla Esparza — TKO R5 — WSW Championship; Jedrzejczyk first title win
Bonuses: POTN: dos Anjos, Jędrzejczyk, Ross Pearson, Beneil Dariush ($50k each)
The Build-Up
Pettis had won the LW title at UFC 164 with one of the sport’s most spectacular submissions of Benson Henderson. He had made one defence — submitting Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181. Dos Anjos had been one of the most underrated fighters in the division: he had knocked out Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 13 and outpointed Nate Diaz at UFC 185’s Dallas card.
Pettis was the heavy favourite. Dos Anjos was considered a respectable but beatable challenger whose lack of finishing ability at the top level was seen as a liability against a striker as dangerous as Pettis. The fight would make those assessments look completely wrong.
Main Event
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Anthony Pettis — UFC LW Championship
Dos Anjos pressured from the opening bell, backing Pettis against the fence with combinations and level changes. The champion’s signature movement and creativity were nullified by dos Anjos’s constant forward aggression. He scored a takedown in round one and sustained the pressure through all five rounds. Pettis landed a few notable kicks but dos Anjos absorbed them and kept coming.
The final scorecards read 50-45 x3 — a total domination. Dos Anjos had nine takedowns and outlanded Pettis by 36 significant strikes. The damage to Pettis’s right orbital was visible; he underwent a six-week medical suspension. Dos Anjos had fought the entire bout with a torn MCL, revealed in post-fight interviews. He held the LW title until June 2016.
Co-Main Event
Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Carla Esparza — UFC WSW Championship
Joanna Jędrzejczyk entered as the unbeaten Polish striker who had dispatched Claudia Gadelha by split decision to earn her shot. Esparza had won the TUF 20 title by submitting Rose Namajunas and was making her first defence. Jędrzejczyk dominated with her Muay Thai striking, stuffing Esparza’s takedowns and systematically battering her. The TKO came in round five. It was the start of a WSW title reign that would last until November 2017.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Germaine de Randamie def. Larissa Pacheco — TKO — R2 — WFW [145 lbs]; de Randamie future UFC FW champion
Joe Duffy def. Jake Lindsey — TKO — R1 — LW; Duffy debut; KO win
Ross Pearson def. Sam Stout — TKO — R1 — LW; POTN ($50k)
Beneil Dariush def. Daron Cruickshank — Sub — R1 — LW; POTN ($50k)
Elias Theodorou def. Roger Narvaez — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — MW
Jared Rosholt def. Josh Copeland — Decision — R3 — HW
Main Card
Henry Cejudo def. Chris Cariaso — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — FW [125 lbs]; Cejudo 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist; future UFC FW + BW champion
Alistair Overeem def. Roy Nelson — TKO (Punches) — R1 — HW
Johny Hendricks def. Matt Brown — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — WW
Joanna Jędrzejczyk def. Carla Esparza — TKO — R5 — WSW Championship; Jędrzejczyk new champion; POTN ($50k); Co-Main
Rafael dos Anjos def. Anthony Pettis — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 5:00 (50-45 x3) — LW Championship; POTN ($50k); dos Anjos new champion
Bonuses & Awards
Performance of the Night: Rafael dos Anjos + Joanna Jędrzejczyk + Ross Pearson + Beneil Dariush — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Rafael dos Anjos — 50-45 x3 domination; widely considered one of the biggest upsets in LW title history; dos Anjos had a torn MCL entering the fight; Cerrone was the first defence opponent; dos Anjos later went 2-0 in defences before losing to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 196.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk — WSW Championship win; first Polish UFC champion; went on to make five successful defences before losing to Rose Namajunas at UFC 217.
Henry Cejudo — 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist; defeated Chris Cariaso at UFC 185; later became UFC FW champion (defeating Demetrious Johnson) and UFC BW champion (defeating TJ Dillashaw). One of only three fighter to win Olympic gold and a UFC title.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 185 is best remembered for the double-title-change shock of a single event. Dos Anjos’s win over Pettis remains one of the most one-sided upsets in LW championship history. The scorecards of 50-45 x3 said it clearly: this was not a close fight, and the champion was completely overwhelmed.
Jędrzejczyk’s WSW title win launched the most dominant reign in the weight class’s short history. She would defend five times and hold the belt until November 2017, becoming Poland’s most decorated MMA champion and one of the greatest strikers the sport has produced.
FAQ
How did dos Anjos beat Pettis so convincingly at UFC 185?
Dos Anjos relentlessly pressured Pettis from round one, using nine takedowns and 90 significant strikes to dominate all five rounds 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards. Pettis could not find space to use his striking and suffered a fractured orbital during the fight.
Was Rafael dos Anjos injured at UFC 185?
Yes. Dos Anjos revealed after the fight that he had torn his MCL in training weeks before UFC 185. He fought through the injury and won the LW title. The injury did not require surgery but sidelined him for approximately three months afterward.
Did Joanna Jedrzejczyk win a title at UFC 185?
Yes. Joanna Jędrzejczyk stopped Carla Esparza by TKO in round five to win the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. It was the start of a reign that lasted until November 2017, during which she made five successful defences.
Was Henry Cejudo at UFC 185?
Yes. Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic wrestling gold medalist, defeated Chris Cariaso by unanimous decision at UFC 185 at flyweight (125 lbs). He later became UFC FW Champion by defeating Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, and UFC BW Champion by defeating TJ Dillashaw in 2019.
Who were Dos Anjos’ title defences after UFC 185?
Dos Anjos defended against Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 17 (TKO R1, 66 seconds — fastest LW title defence finish). He was then expected to face Conor McGregor at UFC 196 but withdrew with a broken foot, leading McGregor to face Nate Diaz instead. Dos Anjos lost the title to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 200 in July 2016.
References
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