UFC 139 Results: What We Learned from Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael Dos Anjos

Fists were flying in the UFC 139 preliminary bout between lightweight grapplers Gleison Tibau and Rafael Dos Anjos.

In the end, the judges seemed torn on the first and third rounds, and Tibau was awarded the split decision.

What We'll Remember About This Fight

The vast majority expected a grappling heavy bout filled with a plethora of takedowns and ground transitions.

Instead, Tibau and Dos Anjos came ready to throw down. Tibau was obviously the better wrestler, but Dos Anjos' active guard and great scrambling abilities nullified the takedown threat for the most part.

Tibau showed improved precision in his ability to counter and put forth offense of his own in the pocket.

Based on movement alone, Dos Anjos looked like the smoother striker, but Tibau managed to beat him to the punch in the majority of the exchanges and land the heavier shots.

What We Learned About Tibau

Tibau is obviously working hard to rectify striking deficiencies. Dos Anjos is a highly underrated striker, but Tibau was able to best the majority of the standup exchanges and land the harder punches.

In the second round, Tibau had the Brazilian on wobbly legs after brutally smashing him up with a multitude of unanswered punches.

It's amazing Dos Anjos was even able to survive the onslaught.

What We Learned About Dos Anjos

Despite losing out on the split decision, Dos Anjos put on a solid performance. Shockingly, Tibau was just able to beat him to the punch.

While he could still use work on his offensive wrestling, Dos Anjos did a tremendous job in utilizing good footwork to force Tibau into telegraphed and easily defended takedown attempts.

What's Next for Tibau

With three straight wins, it could be time for Tibau to test the upper-echelon sharks in the lightweight division. Clay Guida or Dennis Siver would make for great opponents.

What's Next for Dos Anjos

The celebration following Dos Anjos' monumental upset win over George Sotiropoulos was rather short lived. Once again, the Brazilian finds himself coming off a loss in need of a rebound fight. Dennis Siver, Melvin Guillard or a rematch with Jeremy Stephens makes the most sense.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 139. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 19 fight card, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis.