Sherdog.com’s 2014 Fighter of the Year

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5. Rafael dos Anjos

Perhaps no one in MMA embodies blue-collar work ethic better than dos Anjos.

The 30-year-old Brazilian compiled a 3-1 record in 2014, following a unanimous decision loss to the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov with a second-round technical knockout against Jason High, a first-round knockout against former lightweight champion Benson Henderson and a three-round unanimous verdict over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner Nate Diaz.

Dos Anjos fired on all cylinders against Diaz, as he traumatized the Cesar Gracie disciple with leg kicks and ground-and-pound to procure a unanimous decision in the UFC on Fox 13 co-main event on Dec. 13 in Phoenix. He swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

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Diaz, who missed weight by more than four pounds, looked lethargic and at times disinterested. Engaged or not, it soon became clear he was the lesser man. Dos Anjos battered the inside and outside of his lead leg with crippling kicks throughout the first round, rendering the Californian virtually inept from an offensive standpoint. The Brazilian opened a cut near Diaz’s eye with a straight left in the second round, mixed in takedowns and answered his opponent’s taunts and slaps from the bottom by piling up points with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. By the fight’s conclusion, dos Anjos had, according to FightMetric figures, out-landed Diaz by a 77-13 count in the significant strike department and 129-55 in total strikes; he had also secured the only two takedowns he attempted and passed the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s guard five times. It was a rout in every sense of the word.

Dos Anjos’ work has not gone unnoticed. With Nurmagomedov shelved by reconstructive knee surgery, he has emerged as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds and figures to challenge Anthony Pettis for the lightweight crown sometime in the first half of 2015.