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ROUNDTABLE: What does Rafael dos Anjos need to do to get into a UFC Title bout after upset over Benson Henderson?
Aug 25, 2014 - 12:20:24 PM ROUNDTABLE: What does Rafael dos Anjos need to do to get into a UFC Title bout after upset over Benson Henderson?

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Where do you think Rafael dos Anjos stands in the UFC lightweight division after upsetting Benson Henderson? Will he fight for a title? What does he need to do to get there?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I have absolutely no idea where he stands in the division. Let's get the obvious out of the way; he's behind Anthony Pettis. He's ahead of Benson Henderson (Can I get an Amen?). After that, it's a mess. He beat Donald Cerrone, but Cerrone is potentially in a number 1 contender's match with Eddie Alvarez. Speaking of Alvarez, Alvarez is of course unranked, but if he beats Cerrone you can bet your bottom dollar that Alvarez will bypass dos Anjos in about five seconds.

He lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he's out with a knee injury and might not be ready to fight for a title before dos Anjos. He's far ahead of Bobby Green, who just defeated Josh Thomson, but Green might be next in line for dos Anjos despite dos Anjos having just beaten the nominal #1 contender in Benson Henderson. So in case you think UFC rankings are meaningless tripe (you're correct), in this division they're even more meaninglessly tripey than usual. Case in point, one possible ballot of lightweights could look like this:

Champion Anthony Pettis
1.) Khabib Nurmagomedov - injured, likely bypassed by Cerrone/Alvarez winner
2.) Rafael dos Anjos - lost to Nurmagomedov, but might bypass him because of Nurmagomedov's injury, and dos Anjos having slaughtered Henderson
3.) Benson Henderson - never sniffing another title shot.
4.) Gilbert Melendez - fighting Pettis in a few months, barring injury to Pettis between now and then (Pettis is +145 to injury).
5.) Donald Cerrone - Could leapfrog all with a win over the unranked Eddie Alvarez
.
.
.
19.) Gleison Tibau - holds a win over dos Anjos

See? Clusterf***. Who's getting the next shot? That's easy. The title shot goes to whichever fighter Dana White thinks will draw the biggest pay-per-view buyrate. And that's going to be the standard for a while, so dos Anjos is going to be fighting lots of Bobby Greens.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

No one saw that win coming, at least not in the manner it happened. On the one hand, the UFC are probably grateful Henderson has been removed from title contention for the foreseeable future. However, a win for dos Anjos creates another problematic situation that doesn't offer up a whole host of options.

Rafael dos Anjos should be fighting for the title next, but life in the UFC isn't always fair.

On the plus side, it was a very impressive win over a consensus top contender. However, it's only win two of a new streak, not forgetting the first came against Jason High, which doesn't count for anything. A one-sided defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov is too fresh in the memory to forget about it completely. That means an instant title shot is not going to happen unless the injury gods strike.

Donald Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez are far more marketable alternatives, and the winner of their fight next month probably goes next. That leaves no clear next opponent for dos Anjos right now, as none of the available options make any real sense.

A rematch against Nurmagomedov to determine the next No. 1 contender is one option. A fight with the loser of Cerrone vs. Alvarez is another, but I don't really like either choice, especially if the latter turns out to be a a rematch with Cerrone. Bobby Green is riding a fantastic win streak, and it's a fight to make if only to keep dos Anjos busy until something better comes along.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

He probably needs two more wins to get a title shot. This was a big win, but it wasn't that long that he got controlled by Khabib Nurmagomedov and lost. If he can get another big win under his belt then he can start pushing for a title shot. I think it takes two wins, though, because of the amount of time the belt hasn't been defended for. There's a backlog and it's going to take time to sort things out. In the meantime, RDA is going to need to keep winning.


KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I would like to see him get one more win before a title shot. Though I wouldn't be mad if he gets the next shot as he put on a great show!


TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

Rafael dos Anjos has just shot himself up the rankings with his first round stoppage over Benson Henderson. Who would've predicted dos Anjos, who's only finished three fighters via knockout in his twenty-eight fight career, being the first man to knock out the former Champ inside the first round?

The next problem for dos Anjos is where he goes from here. Having already dropped a unanimous decision to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in April 2014, and with all fighters ahead of him in the rankings tied up, he's in a sticky situation.

It's not often this happens, but I agree with Daniel 'Tucky' Moore here; he may have to go backwards to go forward. A fight with Bobby Green now makes perfect sense for both fighters. With Green having had his scheduled fight with Donald Cerrone scrapped in favour of Eddie Alvarez, this might fight will seem more appealing to him.

Before last night I wouldn't have bet on Rafael dos Anjos beating Henderson, let alone fighting for the title. But on that short performance, he might just surprise a few people, including me!


CASH NORMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Rafael dos Anjos is in a difficult position within the lightweight division. He is one of the most talented guys in the division, but he doesn't have the name recognition and star appeal needed to gain casual fan interest. I have given up on the ideological notion that title shots in the UFC are based on meritorious effort. Currently, title shots seem to be based upon on how well you can sell pay-per-views or draw ticket sales or bring in viewers to Fox. I believe the reason this is a problem is because of the current ranking system. Currently in the rankings only Gilbert Melendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Donald Cerrone are listed above RDA. Melendez already has a fight scheduled with the current Lightweight Champion, dos Anjos lost to Nurmagomedov, and the 178 bout between Donald Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez could determine who'll be given the next lightweight title shot.

While it was great that dos Anjos upset Benson Henderson in the manner he did, it is important that he continue to build upon this momentum, and take a fight that will propel him into a championship match. Theoretically, if dos Anjos is one fight away from a title fight, who should he face in the interim? Whomever he faces would need to be high in the rankings, have an appealing fighting style, and name recognition. Although, I have seen many people propose a fight with Bobby Green, Green is not the guy to take dos Anjos to the next level, regardless of where he's listed in the rankings. The best possible outcome will be if Cerrone and Alvarez have an exciting and explosive fight, with dos Anjos challenges the winner.