mma / Columns

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Tony Ferguson: Showcase for MMA’s Best Division

November 4, 2016 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris

This weekend at UFC Fight Night 98 will see a spectacular lightweight bout and main event between former champion Rafael dos Anjos and surging lightweight contender Tony Ferguson. It’s an outstanding fight on paper and representative of how competitive and stacked the lightweight division is. Lightweight might be a little lacking in some top draws, but it is undoubtedly the most stacked, shark-infested and bloody division in MMA today. This fight perfectly represents that.

One reason I’m writing about this column this week is because Tony Ferguson is a fighter I believe has been getting looked over and underrated for years. Maybe part of it is because he came from The Ultimate Fighter. Regardless, Ferguson has more than proved himself on a big stage and proved he can hang with some of the toughest guys in the division. Since 2011, Ferguson’s only loss in the division is to Michael Johnson, a fighter who is currently ranked at No. 6. However, after that loss, Ferguson has won eight fights in a row. I think what’s somewhat disappointing is that Ferguson would have to AT LEAST win up to nine fights in order to be considered a title contender.

For Ferguson, this fight means a potential title challenge. Of course, a win over Dos Anjos doesn’t guarantee him a title shot. Part of that is indicative of just how competitive and stacked the lightweight division is. If you are an up-and-coming fighter or rising contender, you basically have to continually knock down opponents to be considered for a title shot. Donald Cerrone also had to win eight fights in order to earn a shot for the belt. But Ferguson having to go 9-0 just to get a UFC title shot would be pretty unprecedented. It’s hard to think of any fighters who have accomplished that feat. But if anyone can, it’s Ferguson.

Rafael dos Anjos

Ferguson has certainly earned his position at No. 3 in the rankings. Winning eight fights in a row at lightweight is pretty astounding. Those wins include dominant victories over the dangerous and hard-hitting Abel Trujillo, the battle-tested veteran Gleison Tibau, No. 5-ranked Edson Barboza, and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. He’s finished six of his last eight wins. Five of those wins were by submission. Ferguson is a well-rounded athlete. He is dangerous everywhere, he’s great off his back, and he’s made major improvements in his game in the last few years.

Ferguson’s opponent is a former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, who is looking to get back on track and back in the title mix. Dos Anjos’ career is notable as he started out 0-2 in the UFC. For a while, he always seemed like a solid lightweight fighter, but never a guy who would be a standout contender. Eventually, that all changed, and gradually he went on a five-fight winning streak, which included a big win over Donald Cerrone. He was sidetracked by a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but then he managed to rebound in a big way with knockout wins over Jason High and former lightweight champion Benson Henderson. He kept his momentum by scoring another big and dominant win over Nate Diaz and managed to earn a title shot against Anthony Pettis. Despite being the heavy underdog, Dos Anjos put on the performance of his life, solidly dominating Pettis for five rounds and taking home the title.

However, despite looking like a million bucks in his first title defense by taking out Donald Cerrone, the bloodthirsty-ness of lightweight came through again. No one in the UFC lightweight division has ever managed to defend the title more than three times. In his next fight out, Dos Anjos ran into Eddie Alvarez, who stopped Dos Anjos in the first round to win the belt. It just goes to show you that in MMA, no matter how dominant one fighter looks, no one is unbeatable. Lightweight is a division full of killers and that keeps a lot of its fighters honest.

Tony Ferguson

I’m picking Ferguson to win this one as I’ve been on his bandwagon and supported him for a long time. He’s always managed to come through, and I think he will do so again here. The reason I’m picking Ferguson is that while he’s been put in tough spots before, he’s always good at getting out of trouble. He’s great at making adjustments. Even when he faced a grinding wrestler such as Danny Castillo, he managed to fight very well off of his back and did a lot of damage, taking home a just decision. You will see wrestlers trying to take their opponents down and “lay and pray,” but Ferguson came up with a good way around that. Even when his opponent has put him in danger, I’ve seen Ferguson rebound and take the fight where he needed it to go in order to pull out a win. He did that against Edson Barboza as well.

Regardless, Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson is really a fight between two lightweight killers, and that’s what makes it so exciting. Both men are solid and seasoned grapplers. Both men have knockout power and very strong submission skills. This is a very tough fight, and one that’s hard to call. But if there is one fight you should watch this weekend at UFC Fight Night 98. It’s definitely Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson.

Jeffrey Harris is 411mania’s resident Jack of All Trades and has covered MMA for the site since 2008. You can shoot him an e-mail at [email protected] or hit him up on Facebook. He also co-hosts the 411 Ground & Pound Radio podcast along with Robert Winfree. You can listen to the latest episode of the podcast in the player below.