The show is over for “Showtime”. In his second UFC lightweight title defense in the main event of UFC 185, Anthony Pettis was dominated for all five rounds of action by the Brazilian challenger Rafael dos Anjos for a unanimous decision defeat. He was expected by many to walk through dos Anjos, but the Brazilian shocked the MMA world with his spectacular performance. The 30-year-old’s recent improvements in skill and dominant, surprising Championship victory reminds me that of TJ Dillashaw, who produced a similar result when he challenged then-UFC bantamweight title-holder Renan Barao for his 135-pound strap. The Brazilian has now dominated some of the top names in the UFC’s lightweight division in victory and will wait to see the outcome of May 23rd’s UFC 187 bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone before he receives his next assignment. For Pettis, the next move remains a blur. Without question, “Showtime” is still one of the best 155-pounders on the planet. However, I would personally prefer to see him do what he previously intended, drop down to the featherweight division and go after Jose Aldo. Things are more interesting now at 145-pounds with Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar in the mix, and there are some great match-up opportunities for him there. It is likely that Pettis will not want to leave the lightweight division on a loss, but I think this is the right time for him to make the move. One title went to Brazil, and the other to Poland. “I am gonna be Champion,” said Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and she certainly delivered on her words. With dos Anjos being the first 155-pound Brazilian to win the belt, “Joanna Champion” became the first Polish fighter to ever win a UFC title, in any division, and the third European to ever win the belt. The previous two were former UFC heavyweight champion’s Bas Rutten of Holland and Andrei Arlovski from Belarus. The 27-year-old did not take long to dismantle and finish the champion Carla Esparza, defeating her via knockout early in the second round of action. It was a very impressive performance by the Polish underdog, and fight fans everywhere look forward to her first UFC Strawweight title defense. On Saturday night, for two foreign underdogs, the ‘American dream’ was realized. One of them from Brazil, the other from Poland. What they had in common was a championship dream, and they both fulfilled it this past weekend in Dallas.
