Yahoo Sports Rafael dos Anjos withstands Kevin Lee's early pressure, gets 4th-round submission
Kevin Lee stormed out of his corner at the opening bell, seemingly intent on ending his welterweight debut against Rafael dos Anjos early.
The fight ended early, but it was dos Anjos, the former lightweight champion, who got the victory Saturday in the main event of a UFC card at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.
Dos Anjos shook off a single leg takedown attempt from Lee in the fourth and quickly took the fight to the mat. He caught Lee in an arm triangle choke and quickly got the tap.
The fight ended at 3:47 of the fourth when an exhausted Lee was unable to move dos Anjos and tapped his submission.
“I knew he would be strong in the first rounds and he pushed through the third,” said dos Anjos, who got his 10th submission in the UFC. “I was just using my experience. [Coach] Jason Parillo told me to do an adjustment in the fourth and it made a big difference.”
The biggest difference was dos Anjos’ ability to withstand Lee’s early pressure. Lee entered the fight having lost two of his last three at lightweight, and opted to move up to welterweight so he wouldn’t suffer so much from cutting weight.
He slowed in the third and was noticeably tiring in the fourth.
“I was feeling he was getting comfortable in the clinch and putting me against the fence,” dos Anjos said. “I was taking my time and taking his energy. That’s my experience. My last three fights, I fought five rounds against the best guys in the world.”
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