“RDA fight IQ made my eyes burn” – Fans call for Rafael dos Anjos’ retirement after questionable tactics in the loss to Vicente Luque

Questionable decision-making from former champion Rafael dos Anjos cost him the fight against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 78.

“RDA fight IQ made my eyes burn” – Fans call for Rafael dos Anjos’ retirement after questionable tactics in the loss to Vicente Luque

Rafael dos Anjos vs Vicente Luque (Image Courtesy - MMA Orbit Twitter/The US Sun)

Rafael dos Anjos returned to the UFC octagon for his 33rd bout in the company. He fought fellow Brazilian Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 78. Both fighters had a break-or-make scenario heading into the bout as they struggled to defeat the top-level competition. However, Luque defeated dos Anjos via decision after five rounds of a back-and-forth encounter.

Both RDA and Luque lost to top fighters in recent bouts. Luque had back-to-back losses against Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal. On the other hand, RDA managed to defeat Bryan Barberena last December but failed against top-tier fighters like Rafael Fiziev. Both fighters needed a win heading into the bout to confirm their contender status. However, things did not go as planned for Rafael dos Anjos.

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Over the course of five rounds, Luque landed more strikes and could defend takedowns from the former champion. RDA is a well-rounded fighter and could not implement his game plan against Luque in the five-round fight. He kept going for takedowns when Luque countered it efficiently. Luque took RDA down eight times from 11 attempts, whereas RDA only managed two takedowns. RDA appears to have slowed down after approaching age 40 and should retire from the sport as he has nothing left to prove.

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Rafael dos Anjos won the lightweight title back in 2015 and defended it once before losing it to Eddie Alvarez. He has fought only killers from the lightweight and welterweight divisions. The Brazilian had an extraordinary career, including a UFC gold and victories over many elite fighters. On the other hand, Luque has recovered from brain bleeding to once again get a victory inside the octagon.

Related: “They never held championship,” Former champ Rafael dos Anjos gives reality check to fans and fighters hyping BMF belt

Fans react to the main event fight between Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael dos Anjos (Image Courtesy – Sports Illustrated)

The fight between Luque and RDA did not impress the fans all that much. It was not the most exciting bout, but the transitions between the grappling department athletes were interesting. Fans went on Twitter to comment on the fight. Check out some of the fan reactions:

https://twitter.com/Le3ronto/status/1690546463560929280

After recovering from a devastating injury, Luque could now fight against top contenders in the welterweight division. Fight fans hope that his health remains in satisfactory condition in the future. On the other hand, fans expect RDA to retire as he has nothing left to prove in the sport.

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