UFC 185 results: Rafael dos Anjos gets last laugh, turns lightweight division upside down

When he took the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title from Ben Henderson back in late 2013, Anthony Pettis promised mixed martial arts (MMA) fans he would never again get Guida'd.

Well, he was right. He got Dos Anjos'd.

"Showtime" wasn't just out-wrestled, he was out-struck, too, getting swept on all three scorecards en route to a lopsided five-round unanimous decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos, who is probably laughing his ass off somewhere in Dallas, Texas, after weeks of hearing about how badly he was going to get whipped.

The Brazilian -- who does not have his face on a cereal box or a lucrative sneaker deal -- is your new lightweight champion after a career-defining performance at the UFC 185 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Saturday night (March 15, 2015) in the "Lone Star State."

See how it all went down here.

To be fair, it's not like Dos Anjos (24-7) came out of nowhere, as this was a journey nearly seven years in the making. He made his debut at UFC 91 way back in 2008 and got KTFO by Jeremy Stephens, but has since redeemed himself with a torrid 8-1 run, one that includes wins over Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone, among others.

His only loss during that hot streak? Khabib Nurmagomedov.

That sets up an interesting scenario, as "The Eagle" is widely considered to be next in line for the title with a win over the aforementioned Cerrone at the UFC 187 PPV event in May. "Cowboy" would probably earn that nod, as well, but the undefeated Dagestani, on paper, reads like the more dangerous foe.

We'll find out soon enough.

In the meantime, the promotion has to decide what to do with its new champion. UFC 187 is still two months away and if you factor in a full camp for the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Cerrone, we could be looking at six months before the next 155-pound title defense, barring any injuries in "Sin City."

Or the Brazilian could be asked to stay busy in the interim.

Unfortunately, the pickings are slim, as Pettis lost so convincingly he won't be privy to an immediate rematch. And as it stands, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is the only top-five fighter that Dos Anjos has yet to face.

Not sure I need to see "El Nino" in yet another title fight at this stage of the game.

That leaves the No. 6-ranked Michael Johnson, winner of four straight, or an extended vacation for the champion. Either way, the lightweight division is now wide open and Pettis is going to have some work to do if he wants to get back to the mountaintop.

The good news is, he's already done it once before.

For more results and fallout from last night's UFC 185 event click here.