The stakes were incredibly high in the UFC Fight Night 90 main event between Rafael dos Anjos and Eddie Alvarez.
It was a main event during a blockbuster week of fights, one of the first titles contested on UFC Fight Pass and a lightweight title fight.
But even past the money and gold at stake, there was history on the line, and legacies to be built. And after 3:49 of action, Alvarez managed to cement his legacy as, quite possibly, the greatest lightweight mixed martial artist of all time.
Right from the get-go, the fight was fast-paced with technical striking. Dos Anjos used his excellent spacing and footwork to keep Alvarez to the perimeter of the cage, but Alvarez used his quickness and angular boxing to preserve offensive opportunities. Eventually, a right hook snuck into dos Anjos' guard and landed flush to the chin and put him on wobbly legs.
Dos Anjos, somehow, remained upright. It was high drama for fans as the seemingly unstoppable champ repeatedly stumbled, regained his footing and got stumbled again by punches. Unfortunately, while dos Anjos showed off his amazing chin, he never managed to fire back and at 3:49 of the first round, referee Herb Dean waved the fight off and declared Alvarez the winner and new UFC lightweight champion.
It's a storybook moment for Alvarez. Accurately nicknamed "The Underground King," Alvarez was a star on the international and regional circuits before finding steady work in Bellator MMA, where he eventually became the lightweight champion. He left the company with the belt to join the UFC, and broke wins off former WEC champion Anthony Pettis and former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez to set up this shot at the UFC title.
Adding together his UFC title run, his Bellator championship and his 2012 win over former DREAM champion Shinya Aoki gives Alvarez a unique claim to lightweight GOAT status.
But while it was an amazing moment for Alvarez, it was absolute heartbreak for the now-former champion.
Dos Anjos spent the first 10 years of his MMA career as a preliminary card staple—good enough to stick around in the UFC, but not good enough to make waves in the infinitely deep lightweight division.
Something changed in 2012 and dos Anjos began putting it all together in the cage. An 10-1 run which included wins over Ben Henderson, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz set up a title fight with Anthony Pettis at UFC 185, where he utterly dominated and took the belt.
Despite that success and an impressive defense over Cerrone, however, fans have largely remained disinterested in him. Worse, he lost his chance to enter the mainstream and comfortably retire when he withdrew from a UFC 196 fight opposite Conor McGregor.
This loss closes all those doors for him. He will not receive an immediate rematch, given his box office weakness. He will not receive the massive McGregor payday. And he will no longer get the preferential booking that comes along with being champion.
Both men have uncertain futures at this point. It's anyone's guess where dos Anjos goes from here and who Alvarez's first title fight will come against. It's unclear where the division will rank in the UFC's revenue hierarchy, or if Alvarez will finally start earning respect from fans that dos Anjos never seemed to enjoy.
Tomorrow is uncertain for Alvarez and dos Anjos. Today, however, saw the greatest joy, and the most extreme despair.
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