Paulo Thiago

For the Brazilian film director, see Paulo Thiago (director).

Paulo Thiago
Born	Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (1981-01-25) January 25, 1981 Brasilia, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	169 lb (77 kg; 12.1 st)
Division	Welterweight
Reach	72.0 in (183 cm)
Fighting out of	Brasilia, Brazil
Team	X-Gym
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Black belt in Judo
Years active	2005–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	23
Wins	15
By knockout	2
By submission	8
By decision	5
Losses	8
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	6
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu tʃiˈaɡu]; born January 25, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Thiago is also a member of Polícia Militar do Distrito Federal and works for BOPE, a special forces unit in his hometown of Brasilia, Brazil.

Background

Thiago is from Brasilia, Brazil and began training in judo when he was five years old.

Mixed martial arts

Early career

Thiago made his professional debut at Storm Samurai 8 in 2005. He fought Ricardo Petrucio and won the fight via submission in round three. His next three fights came on the same night almost a year after his debut. Thiago competed in the Grand Prix Planaltina, winning all three of his fights and became the tournament winner. Thiago finished all three of the fights by submission. After two more victories, Thiago was signed by Jungle Fights MMA. Thiago won four fights for the promotion before being signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

He currently trains with the Constrictor Team, an affiliate of Team Black House; the famed gym of Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Thiago never signed a contract before his fight against Koscheck, he was only able to acquire a tryout. Thiago made his UFC debut on February 21, 2009, scoring an upset victory over top contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 95. During the fight, commentator Joe Rogan commented that Thiago's striking looked inferior to Koscheck's. However, Thiago won the fight by KO, with a flush right uppercut and a left hook. The referee stopped the fight before Thiago could pounce on him. Koscheck immediately rose and argued that he was still alert and able to defend himself. Further review of the replay shows Koscheck's eyes roll back as he falls down, giving merit to the stoppage. At the post-fight conference, Dana White confirmed that Thiago had earned Knockout of the Night honors.

Thiago had his second fight in the UFC, fighting against former title challenger and Koscheck teammate Jon Fitch at UFC 100. This was Thiago's first fight in the United States and he lost via unanimous decision.

Thiago rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over UFC newcomer Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106.

In Thiago's fourth outing in the UFC octagon, he was set to have a rematch against Josh Koscheck at UFC 109. However, Koscheck pulled out of the bout after an undisclosed injury and was replaced by AKA teammate Mike Swick. Thiago won via submission (D'arce Choke) in the second round and earned his second UFC fight bonus with the win.

Thiago faced Martin Kampmann on June 12, 2010, at UFC 115 where he lost via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Thiago lost his second straight fight via unanimous decision to Diego Sanchez on October 23, 2010 at UFC 121. Though Thiago started the fight off strong by winning the first round, he began to tire and eventually succumbed to the cardio and wrestling skills of Sanchez in the second and third rounds. The bout earned Fight of the Night, awarding both fighters an extra paycheck.

In November 2010, Thiago signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC. Thiago was expected to face Johny Hendricks on March 3, 2011, at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann. However, Thiago was forced out of the bout with an elbow injury.

Thiago defeated David Mitchell via unanimous decision on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134, completely dominating Mitchell throughout all three rounds.

Thiago was expected to face Mike Pyle on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142. However, Thiago was forced out of the bout with an elbow injury and replaced by Ricardo Funch.

Thiago faced Siyar Bahadurzada on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. He was knocked out less than a minute into the first round after Siyar landed a right hook to the jaw that followed a left jab as Thiago was moving forward. This marked the first time Thiago had been finished in his career.

Thiago next faced Dong Hyun Kim on November 10, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 6. He lost the bout via unanimous decision

Thiago was expected to face Lance Benoist on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8. However, on April 20, it was announced that Benoist had to pull out of the bout due to an injury. He was replaced by UFC newcomer Michel Prazeres. Thiago won the fight via unanimous decision.

Thiago was expected to face Kelvin Gastelum on August 28, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27. However, Thiago pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury.

Thiago faced Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night 32 on November 9,2013. He tapped to strikes in the first round.

Thiago faced Gasan Umalatov on May 31, 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Despite being 2–6 in his last eight fights inside the octagon, Thiago signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC in June 2014. He was expected to face Mike Rhodes at UFC Fight Night 51 on September 13, 2014. However, Rhodes was forced out of the bout due to injury and was briefly replaced by returning veteran Joe Riggs. Subsequently, Riggs was forced to pull out of the fight after accidentally shooting himself in the leg while cleaning a pistol at his home. Thiago instead faced Sean Spencer. Thiago lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released by the UFC.

Personal life

Thiago is married and has twins.

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Koscheck
  • Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Mike Swick
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Diego Sanchez

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
23 matches	15 wins	8 losses
By knockout	2	1
By submission	8	1
By decision	5	6

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	15–8	Sean Spencer	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski	September 13, 2014	3	5:00	Brasília, Brazil
Loss	15–7	Gasan Umalatov	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado	May 31, 2014	3	5:00	São Paulo, Brazil
Loss	15–6	Brandon Thatch	Submission (knee to the body)	UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson	November 9, 2013	1	2:10	Goiânia, Brazil
Win	15–5	Michel Prazeres	Decision (unanimous)	UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold	May 18, 2013	3	5:00	Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Loss	14–5	Dong Hyun Kim	Decision (unanimous)	UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le	November 10, 2012	3	5:00	Macau, SAR, China
Loss	14–4	Siyar Bahadurzada	KO (punch)	UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva	April 14, 2012	1	0:42	Stockholm, Sweden
Win	14–3	David Mitchell	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 134	August 27, 2011	3	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss	13–3	Diego Sanchez	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 121	October 23, 2010	3	5:00	Anaheim, California, United States	Fight of the Night.
Loss	13–2	Martin Kampmann	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 115	June 12, 2010	3	5:00	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win	13–1	Mike Swick	Technical Submission (D'arce choke)	UFC 109	February 6, 2010	2	1:54	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Submission of the Night
Win	12–1	Jacob Volkmann	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 106	November 21, 2009	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	11–1	Jon Fitch	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 100	July 11, 2009	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	11–0	Josh Koscheck	TKO (punches)	UFC 95	February 21, 2009	1	3:29	London, England	Knockout of the Night
Win	10–0	Luiz Dutra Jr.	TKO (knee injury)	Jungle Fight 11	September 13, 2008	1	0:40	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	9–0	Ferrid Kheder	Decision (unanimous)	Jungle Fight 10	July 12, 2008	3	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	8–0	Paulo Cavera	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Jungle Fight 9: Warriors	May 31, 2008	1	N/A	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	7–0	Leonardo Pecanha	Decision (unanimous)	Jungle Fight 8	April 6, 2008	3	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	6–0	Fernando Bettega	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Capital Fight 1	December 14, 2007	1	2:02	Brasilia, Brazil
Win	5–0	Franklin Careli	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Conquista Fight 3	May 12, 2007	2	0:37	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	4–0	Igor Maux	Submission (anaconda choke)	Grand Prix Planaltina	October 13, 2006	1	1:06	Planaltina, Brazil
Win	3–0	Diogo Almeida	Submission (guillotine choke)	Grand Prix Planaltina	October 13, 2006	3	1:21	Planaltina, Brazil
Win	2–0	Marcone Bezerra	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Grand Prix Planaltina	October 13, 2006	3	1:31	Planaltina, Brazil
Win	1–0	Ricardo Petrucio	Submission (triangle choke)	Storm Samurai 8	July 2, 2005	3	1:36	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

External links

• Official UFC Profile
• Professional MMA record for Paulo Thiago from Sherdog

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