PHOENIX – Rafael dos Anjos brutalized Nate Diaz’s legs, elbowed a hole in his face, and thoroughly dominated the outspoken fighter en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) in a bloody, one-sided affair.

By the time it was over, Diaz (17-10 MMA, 12-8 UFC) was beaten but unbowed, slapping at dos Anjos (23-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) off his back and shouting at him until the final horn.

The lightweight fight co-headlined today’s UFC on FOX 13 event at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. It aired on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

After all his pre-fight shenanigans, Diaz never looked fully engaged in this bout. He hardly reacted as dos Anjos kicked first his right and then his left leg to shreds, leaving him hobbled and severely diminished from the opening few minutes of the first round onward. As Diaz’s mobility decreased, dos Anjos only became more aggressive, mixing in high kicks and straight punches before also attacking Diaz on the mat with little fear of his ground game.

By the second round, Diaz was bleeding badly and seemed to have little answer for dos Anjos’ offense. By the third, it was clear that dos Anjos was in total control, while all Diaz could do was verbally berate him as dos Anjos continued to slam home elbows to the face from inside Diaz’s guard.

The bout ended with Diaz slapping at dos Anjos, who slapped back before unleashing a brutal torrent of punches and elbows until the final horn sounded. By then it was clear that Diaz wasn’t about to roll over and quit, but neither was he anywhere close to pulling out a win.

“I am very happy with my performance,” dos Anjos said. “I knew I had to get in there and go for it. I owe a lot to my team; they know how to prepare me. I want to say thank you to them and to Dana White for this opportunity.”

For dos Anjos, the win makes it three in a row with the UFC. Diaz has now lost three of his last four.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 13 results include:

• Rafael dos Anjos def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Alistair Overeem def. Stefan Struve via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:13
• Matt Mitrione def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:59
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• John Moraga def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:06
• Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs via submission (injury) – Round 1, 0:57
• Drew Dober def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:52
• Bryan Barberena def. Joe Ellenberger via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:24
• David Michaud def. Garett Whiteley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Henry Cejudo def. Dustin Kimura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this story from on-site in Phoenix.)