Rafael dos Anjos felicitated for a special milestone at UFC Vegas 14
UFC has put forth a post on its official website, revealing that former Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has reached a special milestone in his career with the organization.
UFC’s aforementioned post confirmed that Dos Anjos has been tested 50 times by USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). The organization and USADA have been working with one another since 2015.
The world-renowned anti-doping organization has been helping UFC create a level-playing field for its athletes, by preventing the fighters who are under contract with UFC from using banned PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs).
Rafael dos Anjos is the fourth UFC athlete to reach this milestone
Rafael dos Anjos has now joined an elite club of UFC fighters who have submitted 50 or more clean drug tests to USADA.
Other fighters in the club include former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Holly Holm, and MMA icon Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
UFC’s official revelation on its website, regarding Rafael Dos Anjos’ great accomplishment, has noted that he was felicitated for the aforesaid accomplishment after his weigh-in ahead of his UFC Vegas 14 fight against Paul Felder.
UFC’s Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky, put forth a tweet regarding RDA’s achievement. The tweet featured photographs of Dos Anjos sporting a jacket with “RDA” and the UFC/USADA’s “50X” symbols inscribed on it.
Novitzky’s tweet, featuring the photos, was accompanied by the following statement –
“Another legend of the sport reaches the 50x perfect test history milestone. Thank you RDA @RdosAnjosMMA for your leadership and support of a clean UFC.”
Rafael dos Anjos has returned to the UFC Lightweight division in style
Rafael dos Anjos has been with UFC for many years and is regarded as one of the promotion’s most consistent fighters of all time.
RDA’s accolades in the sport of MMA are undeniably praiseworthy, but the talented Brazilian-American fighter has self-admittedly never been one to rest on his laurels.
Dos Anjos previously held the UFC Lightweight championship and also secured notable victories at Welterweight over the past few years.
RDA last competed in the Welterweight division in January of this year, losing by way of unanimous decision to Michael Chiesa.
Nevertheless, Rafael dos Anjos subsequently vowed to return to the Lightweight division and reclaim his past glory at 155 pounds.
As he’d promised, Dos Anjos finally returned to the Lightweight division, securing a split decision win in his five-round main event matchup against Paul Felder at UFC Vegas 14 on November 14th, 2020.
Many believe that Dos Anjos did more than enough to warrant a clear-cut unanimous decision win in his fight against Felder.
Be that as it may, Dos Anjos has made a huge statement in his return to 155 pounds and has asserted his intentions to recapture the UFC Lightweight title sooner rather than later.