Halfway through the Gleison Tibau/Rafael dos Anjos UFC 139 prelim fight, commentator Joe Rogan mentioned how there are some bouts where each guy’s skill set cancels out the other’s. That turned out to be a great way to describe what happened in this split decision victory for Tibau.
Up until midway through the second round, the action was even with neither man putting themselves out there to change the course of the fight. Tibau then caught dos Anjos with a left-right-left combo that hurt his opponent and backed him up against the cage. Tibau was patient in throwing additional punches that landed while dos Anjos did his best to deflect some of them. RDA was hurt but was able to survive, but the flurry lost the round for him. In the third round, it was back to an even-steven fight, but Tibau secured a big takedown to win him that round as well.
It was the third consecutive win for Tibau (25-7), who recently celebrated his fifth year in the UFC. dos Anjos (15-6) has lost two of his last three.
What was the highlight of the fight?
The strikes from Tibau in the second round were the most notable offense over the entire 15 minutes. dos Anjos was hurt, but held on after getting rocked by some solid punches.
What’s next for both fighters?
In the loaded lightweight division, there are several options that would help show us where Tibau is at as Matt Wiman, Danny Castillo or Tony Ferguson could make for some interesting fights. Depending on what happens with the Strikeforce lightweights, Tibau could be trapped in the middle of the pack for a while. dos Anjos could be paired against nearly any mid-to-lower level lightweight coming off a loss. Until he gets some consistency, he’s destined to be stuck on the Fuel prelims.
Watch now, later or never?
I’d say never. There really wasn’t much to write home about in this one and aside for a single flurry, Tibau/dos Anjos was fairly nondescript.
More BE coverage of UFC 139 in the full entry.
UFC 139 Results: FightMetric Scores Shogun vs. Henderson a Draw – Tim Burke
UFC 139 Results: The Resurgence Of Stephan Bonnar – Josh Nason
UFC 139 Shogun vs Henderson Results: Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Video: Full Post-Fight Press Conference Video For Shogun vs Henderson – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson vs Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua Fight Video Highlights – Leland Roling
UFC 139: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua Results and Post-Fight Analysis – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Post-Fight Press Conference Coverage – Tim Burke
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio – Episode 102: UFC 139 Results Review – Matt Bishop
UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson Wins Decisions Over Shogun Rua In An Absolute Classic – Matt Roth
UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson – Live Results and Play-By-Play for PPV Broadcast – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Results: Wanderlei Silva Knocks Out Cung Le In The Second Round – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Urijah Faber Chokes Brian Bowles Out With A Guillotine – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Martin Kampmann Edges Rick Story with Split Decision Victory – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Stephan Bonnar Dominates Kyle Kingsbury To Unanimous Decision – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Ryan Bader Knocks Out Jason Brilz In The First – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Michael McDonald Knocks Alex Soto Out In The First Round – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Chris Weidman Sinks In D’arce Choke to Beat Tom Lawlor – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Gleison Tibau Wins Split Decision Over Rafael dos Anjos – Matt Roth
UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson – Live Results and Play-By-Play for Facebook Stream – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Results: Miguel Torres Puts On A Clinic Against Nick Pace – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Seth Baczynski Finishes Matt Brown Early In The Second – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Danny Castillo Finishes Shamar Bailey With Punches – Matt Roth
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