Rafael dos Anjos married ring girl he met at MMA tournament - Here's all we know about the UFC star's wife

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has often attributed his successful MMA career to a strong support system, which includes close family members. 'RDA' has been in a long-term relationship with his partner, Cristiane dos Anjos (formerly Cristiane Gurgel).

The couple, originally from Brazil, live with their three children in the United States of America. As indicated by the UFC athlete via social media, he and some of his family became naturalized US citizens in December 2019.

After their first encounter at an MMA event in Brazil in 2007, their relationship swiftly deepened. Soon thereafter, Rafael dos Anjos married Cristiane. An up-and-coming MMA fighter at the time, dos Anjos was scheduled to compete at the event. Meanwhile, Cristiane was also a part of the event, working as a ring girl and announcer.

During the event, Cristiane, who was supposed to announce his name, mispronounced it as 'Rafael dos Santos.' 'RDA' later approached and corrected her. Cristiane recalled it was "love at first sight." In the ensuing years, she's time and again helped the UFC fighter with his diet and training.

In March 2015, before dos Anjos' maiden UFC title shot, the couple addressed their first encounter in a video on the UFC's official YouTube channel. Lauding his wife for changing his life, 'RDA' stated:

"Since I met her, everything in my life started getting better. The main reason that I fight is for my family. All my motivation comes from them ... I wanna give my kids as much opportunity that I can. I want them to choose which way they wanna follow. And if they wanna be fighters, I wanna support them. I gonna support them whatever they choose."

Catch dos Anjos' comments below (1:10):

Moreover, dos Anjos is a stepfather to Cristiane's child, a son named Gustavo, from her previous marriage. Additionally, the couple have two children together, with one named Rafael dos Anjos Filho (born in 2008) and the other known as Roginho dos Anjos (born in 2018).

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Rafael dos Anjos eyes lightweight title shot heading into pivotal fight at UFC 299

Rafael dos Anjos' wife and his children have long been unwavering supporters of the UFC mainstay during his rise to the UFC lightweight throne as well as in his post-title run in the organization. Regardless, given the fact that he's now 39 years of age, certain sections of the MMA community believe 'RDA' is past his athletic prime.

For his part, Rafael dos Anjos soldiers on in his quest to earn a shot at reclaiming the UFC lightweight title he held from March 14, 2015, to July 7, 2016. Presently, the No. 11-ranked UFC lightweight dos Anjos is scheduled to face the No. 6-ranked Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024.

The consensus is that a win over Gamrot could catapult 'RDA' up the rankings and possibly bag him a fight against a top-five-ranked opponent next.