The stunning conclusion came just 18 seconds into the fifth and final round after Fiziev blasted the former lightweight champion with the punch that put dos Anjos on the canvas. Another shot followed as referee Mark Smith rushed to stop the fight before dos Anjos could absorb any further damage. Immediately afterwards, dos Anjos appeared to be protesting the stoppage. In hindsight, however, the 37-year-old Brazilian had no complaints about the way it ended. “I don’t think so,” dos Anjos replied when asked if he thought he was the victim of an early stoppage at UFC Vegas 58 after the fight. “I have to watch the tape again, but I don’t think so. He won fair and square. “I have to watch it again, and I was still kind of dazed, but yeah, it was a tough fight. Raphael was a tough opponent. I trained really hard for this fight and I really felt like I had my momentum going, but that’s the game.” After arguably his best round in the fourth, dos Anjos looked to secure victory in the fifth. But a mental error at the start of the round ultimately cost him. “I think going into the fifth, I was like, ‘I’ve got to apply pressure,’ like my style,” dos Anjos explained. “I thought he was tired, but he is dangerous. He has heavy hands and I will have to be more careful at the beginning of the round.” The loss snapped dos Anjos’ two-fight winning streak since returning to the lightweight division in a bid for another run at the title he held in 2015. While it certainly wasn’t the result he wanted, dos Anjos had to give credit to Fiziev for a job well done as he seized the moment to earn the knockout in the fifth and final round. “He’s a tough guy,” dos Anjos said. “I expected nothing less from him. I knew guys from eastern Europe, they are always tough and I knew it would be a tough match. Actually, his takedown defense impressed me a bit, but I took him down in the fourth [round]hit him with the flying knee as well. “The race was very close until the fifth. I think I was probably a little ahead of him, but that’s the game. Unfortunately, they caught me.” After back-to-back training camps, dos Anjos isn’t ready to think about exactly what’s next for him, especially after a disappointing result on Saturday. Falling to Fiziev probably won’t take him too far down the rankings, but dos Anjos also understands there’s a lot less road ahead than the one he’s already put behind him. “I fought four months ago, I fought [Renato] Moicano, now I fought Fiziev tonight and I have to go home and enjoy my family a bit,” dos Anjos said when referring to his future. “I was out for 16 months and a long lay-off with two knee injuries and a hernia as well. “Now, it’s time to go home and enjoy my family a little and see what the future holds.”
