UFC 139 Results: Dos Anjos Proves He Belongs in UFC Despite Loss to Tibau

Rafael dos Anjos may have a 4-4 record in the UFC now, but his display against Gleison Tibau on Saturday was nonetheless impressive.

Dos Anjos, who lost via split-decision, saw a 4-1 run put to a halt, but he bounced back tremendously in the third and final round, with two judges granting him the round.

It was a back-and-forth battle that was one of UFC 139's best fights, with dos Anjos withstanding some huge blows from Tibau, including one at the end of the first round that would have been the final straw for many fighters.

Tibau unloaded on dos Anjos again in the second round, hitting him with a combination of quick shots, power shots and right-left combinations. But dos Anjos amazingly stayed on his feet.

It appeared inevitable after the first two rounds that it was only a matter of time before dos Anjos went down, but it was quite the opposite. Dos Anjos came out firing in the third round, hitting Tibau flush with a left and keeping him guessing with leg kicks.

In the end, Tibau fought a skilled fight himself, with more takedowns than dos Anjos.

But even Tibau admitted after the fight that it was certainly no easy task.

Said Tibau, via MMAJunkie.com:

"

He's a very tough guy, and it was not easy. I worked on my boxing and takedowns, and I thought I had a good first takedown. I just tried to take the win and kept going the whole time with no stop.

"

There are some that believe a fighter's record ultimately defines how good he is. But that's not the case for dos Anjos. The Brazilian isn't a title contender like Tibau is now, but he certainly isn't to be taken lightly.

A guy with his chin and endurance will always have a place in the UFC.