Anthony Pettis Will Defend Belt Against Rafael Dos Anjos At UFC 185

Earlier this week, Rafael Dos Anjos tweeted that he would soon have some big news. Now we know what that news is. He will be challenging Anthony Pettis for the lightweight title at UFC 185 on March 14 in Dallas.

The UFC released the fight via the UFC 182 Prelims on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday night.

Pettis (18-2) recently returned to action at UFC 181 after spending more than a year on the sidelines due to injury and a head coaching slot on the twentieth season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Gilbert Melendez. Pettis successfully defended his belt against Melendez at UFC 181, becoming the first fighter to ever submit the 12-year, 26-fight veteran.

Dos Anjos (23-7) has lost only one time in his last nine fights, that being a decision loss to undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is currently sidelined due to injury. The Brazilian enters the fight with Pettis coming off of a dominant performance against Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 13 in December.