The former UFC lightweight champion made a thunderous statement on Saturday, submitting 170-pound contender Neil Magny with a first-round arm-triangle choke in a one-sided performance to vault himself into instant title contention in the UFC’s welterweight division. Dos Anjos is now 2-0 in the weight class, having also decisioned ex-Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine this past summer, and with the 170-pound class currently lacking a clear No. 1 contender, it may not be long before dos Anjos finds himself locked in a cage against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
“The division is wide open,” dos Anjos said Saturday night at UFC 215’s post-fight press conference.