ORLANDO, Florida – Rafael dos Anjos stopped Donald Cerrone at 1:06 of the first round Saturday night to retain the UFC lightweight title.
Dos Anjos hurt Cerrone with a left kick to the midsection, moved in and unleashed a flurry of shots against the fence. Cerrone managed to escape and get back to the center of the octagon, but the fight went to the ground and dos Anjos finished it there.
Dos Anjos improved to 35-7 in his first title defense and second victory of Cerrone.
“I just proved that I am here to stay,” dos Anjos said. “I’m here with my belt. It’s just the beginning.”
Cerrone dropped to 28-7 after winning eight straight fights.
“I didn’t show up to work,” Cerrone said. “Couldn’t find my gear. He showed up and I didn’t. He did a good job.”
After the fight, dos Anjos delivered a message to featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who has said he plans to also fight in the lightweight division.
Earlier, Alistair Overeem (40-14) scored a technical knockout win over former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos (17-4) in a heavyweight fight.
In a lightweight fight, Nate Diaz (18-10) picked up a unanimous decision over Michael Johnson (16-10) in a standup battle.