Rafael Dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos is one of MMA's great pressure fighters and a model of reinvention. He spent his early UFC years as a tough but unspectacular lightweight before transforming into a relentless southpaw destroyer, peaking in 2015 with a dominant beatdown of Anthony Pettis to win the lightweight title.

His style is built on pace and punishment: heavy body shots, chopping leg kicks, smothering pressure and strong wrestling. After losing the lightweight belt he moved up to welterweight and became a top contender there too, taking on the elite of both divisions in one of the longest sustained top-level careers of his era.

For newcomers, dos Anjos is the definition of a hardened veteran - a former champion who never coasted, never ducked, and kept testing himself against the best across two weight classes for well over a decade.