Rafael dos Anjos (MMA record 31-14) returns to welterweight after his venture at lightweight for three fights. The former UFC lightweight champ wanted to make one last run for the title in the division. Although he beat Paul Felder and Renato Moicano, dos Anjos fell short against Rafael Fiziev earlier this year.
Cutting down to 155 lbs, was always a hard task for the Brazilian fighter. Hence, he is moving up to welterweight for his upcoming bout, as he takes on Bryan Barberena in the co-main event of UFC Orlando this weekend. The bout will be a 15-minute affair between two unranked welterweight fighters.
Rafael Dos Anjos will fight Bryan Barberena at #UFCOrlando on December 3rd. (first rep. @raphamarinho) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN pic.twitter.com/K0bjLavmT4
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) October 6, 2022
Unlike RDA, Bryan Barberena is coming off a win. It was perhaps the biggest victory of his career as he beat the former welterweight champ, Robbie Lawler, via second-round stoppage at UFC 276. Can he continue his trend of beating the former champions against Rafael dos Anjos? Let’s find out!
UFC Orlando Prediction: Bryan Barberena vs Rafael dos Anjos, Stats
Stats | Bryan Barberena | Rafael dos Anjos |
---|---|---|
Wins | 18 | 31 |
Losses | 8 | 14 |
Height | 1.83 m | 1.73 m |
Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
Reach | 184.2 cm | 177.8 cm |
Age | 33 | 38 |
Can RDA succeed upon his return to welterweight against Barberena?
Bryan Barberena (MMA record 18-8) has a big reputation for being a ferocious striker. Not many fighters can stand with him and win a brawl. As Robbie Lawler found out the hard way, standing in Barberena’s range can prove fatal. So fighters need to be a bit more well-rounded to find success against ‘Bam Bam.’
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But thankfully for Rafael dos Anjos, he is a fighter of an elite elk. Not only is RDA a very high-level Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, but Rafael also has good power behind his punches. So Barberena can not afford to put his focus only on striking. If his takedown defense is not upto the mark, it will be a long night for the 33-year-old inside the Octagon.
But, out of his last 5 fights, Bryan managed to win 4. So he has some momentum coming into the fight against Rafael dos Anjos. Barberena has 11 KOs and 2 submissions in his career of 26 contests. RDA, on the other hand, only has 5 KOs and 10 submissions in 45 fights. However, dos Anjos has been fighting elite competitors for much longer than Barberena.
Fans also have to consider that Rafael dos Anjos is 38 and has recently suffered a lot of big losses. Although he looked good against Fiziev early on, RDA faded later in the contest. So Barberena will look to put the pressure early and exhaust RDA. If the California native manages to maintain constant pressure, Bryan Barberena may just walk away with the win.