When Kamaru Usman faced Rafael dos Anjos in the main event on The Ultimate Fighter Season 28 Finale Card in November, Usman was on a 12-fight winning streak, while dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion, was coming off a loss to Colby Covington in a bout that was for the interim welterweight title. Usman hoped that a win over dos Anjos would vault him past Covington and into a fight against undisputed welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
When the fight began, Usman was a -285 favorite over the former champion, who was a =220 underdog. The odds were most likely stacked against dos Anjos because he had struggled in the past against fighters who possessed the same skillset that Usman brought with him. Those skills were mainly, his wrestling and his strength on the ground.
Those odds were on the money. Usman took dos Anjos to the mat at least once in each of the five rounds the fight lasted. In total, Usman scored 12 takedowns on 18 attempts and landed 49 of 69 significant strike attempts once the fight hit the mat. Fighting to his strength earned Usman a unanimous decision win, but more importantly, he earned a title shot.
Usman meets Woodley in the co-main event of tonight's UFC 235 fight card, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Before Usman faces Woodley, watch Usman’s dominant win over dos Anjos right here.
