UFC 272 results: Rafael dos Anjos batters Renato Moicano in dominant decision win
Rafael dos Anjos continued a successful campaign since his return to lightweight with a dominant win Saturday.
The former UFC champion put on an impressive showing against short-notice replacement Renato Moicano at UFC 272. Dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 20-11 UFC) defeated Moicano (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) 49-45, 49-44, and 50-44 to win a unanimous decision.
The 160-pound catchweight bout was the UFC 272 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It was a wild fight that showcased dos Anjos’ still remaining elite ability and Moicano’s heart and toughness.
Almost immediately into the first round, Moicano closed the distance and presses dos Anjos against the cage. Dos Anjos was able to break away and they began to exchange on the feet. Shortly after, dos Anjos took the fight to the ground. From there, he began to slowly accumulate ground-and-pound on Moicano. The former champion maintained top control until the bell.
Round 2 had a quick start with both fighters immediately exchanging on the feet. Dos Anjos had the most success, landing the harder shots, but Moicano was able to fire back a few of his own. Moicano looked a bit slow and fatigued as the fight went on and it appeared dos Anjos was clearly the fresher and more explosive fighter. Halfway through the round, dos Anjos took the fight to the ground and began to work ground-and-pound for the remaining of the frame.
Moicano seemed to get a second wind in the third. He landed good combinations and appeared to have more pop than previous rounds. In an exchange, dos Anjos caught Moicano with a left high kick and dropped him to the canvas. He came close to stopping Moicano on the ground, but Moicano did a good job at defending and was able to tie up dos Anjos and see the round out.
Battered from the ground-and-pound, Moicano entered the fourth with what seemed little to offer. However, he landed good combinations on dos Anjos and was beating him on the feet until a takedown from dos Anjos two minutes in. From there, once again, it was all dos Anjos. Steadily, dos Anjos landed ground-and-pound until the bell rang.
Entering the fifth, referee Marc Goddard warned Moicano that he was close to stopping the fight and he needed to show more life in the bout. Moicano managed to make the fight competitive, stuffing dos Anjos’ takedowns and landing solid combinations on the feet. It was an exciting end to a fight that was primarily once sided in favor of the former champ.
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With the result, dos Anjos now finds himself on a two-fight winning streak since moving back to lightweight. The 37-year-old went 4-4 at welterweight before dropping back to 155 pounds in late 2020. He defeated Paul Felder in a decision in his return to lightweight.
Moicano was coming off an impressive submission win over Alexander Hernandez three weeks ago at UFC 271. He’s now 3-2 since moving up to the lightweight division in March 2020. His lone loss prior to the defeat at UFC 272 was to current rising contender, and the man he replaced at UFC 272, Rafael Fiziev. Moicano was a ranked top-10 contender at featherweight before moving up a weight class.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 272 results include:
Rafael dos Anjos def. Renato Moicano via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-44, 50-44)
Bryce Mitchell def. Edson Barboza via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Kevin Holland def. Alex Oliveira via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:38
Serghei Spivac def. Greg Hardy via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:16
Jalin Turner def. Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:46
Marina Rodriguez def. Yan Xiaonan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via split decision (29-27, 27-29, 29-27)
Maryna Moroz def. Mariya Agapova via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:27
Umar Nurmagomedov def. Brian Kelleher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:15
Tim Elliott def. Tagir Ulanbekov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ludovit Klein def. Devonte Smith via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Dustin Jacoby def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
