Thales Leites
| Thales Leites | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Thales Leites Lourenço September 6, 1981 (age 33) Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Reach | 78.0 in (198 cm)[1] |
| Team | Nova União |
| Rank | 1st degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Welton Ribeiro[1] |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 29 |
| Wins | 25 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 14 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Thales Leites Lourenço (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtaliʒ ˈlejtʃiʃ]; born September 6, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of April 24, 2015, he is #9 in official UFC middleweight rankings.[2]
Biography
Mixed martial arts
Leites made his mixed martial arts debut at Shooto Brazil in 2003, defeating Felipe Arinelli by arm-triangle choke submission. Leites would win his next two fights in Vitória before making his debut in the United States in Hawaii's Rumble on the Rock promotion in 2005, where he defeated Adam Roland in his fourth consecutive mixed martial arts victory.
After a successful outing in the U.S., Leites returned to Brazil to fight Gustavo Machado, who was coming off two wins in the Japanese Pancrase organization. Leites defeated the more experienced Machado by submission in the third round, and was invited back to Rumble on the Rock to fight Hawaiian Ronald Jhun in September. Despite fighting a hometown favorite, Leites notched his sixth victory, defeating Jhun by technical knockout in the later half of the fight.
Although Leites held an unblemished record, he did not gain much mainstream exposure until his bouts with Osami Shibuya in Japan's MARS promotion, and Jose Landi-Jons in Brazil's Jungle Fight promotion. In both fights, Leites was much less experienced than his opponents; about Landi-Jons, Leites admitted, "He was already famous when I was not even interested" in mixed martial arts.[3] Despite the experience disparity, Leites defeated both opponents, scoring a unanimous decision over Shibuya, and submitting Landi-Jons with an arm-triangle choke, increasing Leites' professional record to 9-0.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In September 2006, it was announced that Leites would make his UFC debut against veteran middleweight Nate Marquardt at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter. However, due to issues with his travel documentation, Leites was not able to compete at the event as planned.
Leites made his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale, where he lost a unanimous decision to Danish kickboxer Martin Kampmann.
In his next fight, at UFC 69, he defeated The Ultimate Fighter 4 contestant Pete Sell. Leites next earned a submission victory over Floyd Sword at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale by arm-triangle choke. He was then scheduled to fight Ryan Jensen at UFC 74.[4] Leites accepted the fight after Travis Lutter, Jensen's original opponent, was forced to withdraw from the event.[5] Leites defeated Jensen by armbar submission in the first round, raising his UFC record to 3 wins, 1 loss.
Leites was scheduled to fight Nate Marquardt at UFC 81, but withdrew from the bout after breaking his hand in training. Leites finally fought Marquardt at UFC 85, winning by a controversial split decision due to point deductions in the 2nd and 3rd rounds to Marquardt.
On the undercard of UFC 90 Leites was able to earn a submission victory over heavy-handed Drew McFedries. This win would prove to be valuable as Leites was able to earn number one contendership to the UFC middleweight title against current champion Anderson Silva on UFC 97 in Montreal. Leites was defeated by Silva via unanimous decision in what is called by many to be the worst fight in MMA history. On his return to the octagon, Leites was defeated again via a controversial split decision against Italian Alessio Sakara. The fight inspired a lot of booing which started during the first round and continued throughout the fight. The lack of action during the fight at one point caused referee Marc Goddard to state to the fighters that Mixed Martial Arts was a "contact sport".[6]
Following the loss, Leites, along with George Roop and Tamdan McCrory, were cut from the UFC. Just days later, Dana White revealed to Yahoo Sports his unawareness of McCrory and Leites' release from the UFC and expressed his intentions to reverse those actions.[7] Shortly after, White decided not to reverse the decisions.
Post-UFC
Leites earned a decision victory over Dean Lister at MFC 23 on December 4, 2009, a submission victory over Rico Washington at Bitetti Combat MMA 6 on February 25, 2010, and a submission victory over Jesse Taylor at MFC 25 on May 7, 2010.
He was scheduled to face Falaniko Vitale on August 14, 2010, in California, but instead faced Matt Horwich at the event[8] and suffered the first submission loss of his career.
In the Superior Challenge promotion, Leites submitted top European Middleweight Tor Troéng at Superior Challenge 6 on October 29, 2010, and fought Jeremy Horn to a split decision victory at Superior Challenge 7 on April 30, 2011.[9]
Return to the UFC
After winning three in a row, Leites was signed by the UFC and made his return against Tom Watson on August 3, 2013 at UFC 163.[10] He won the fight via dominant unanimous decision.
Leites next faced Ed Herman on November 16, 2013 at UFC 167.[11] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Leites faced Trevor Smith on April 11, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 39.[12] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Leites faced Francis Carmont on August 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 49.[13] He won the fight via second round knockout. The win also earned Leites his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[14]
Leites then faced Tim Boetsch on January 31, 2015 at UFC 183.[15] He won the fight via technical submission due to an arm-triangle choke in the second round. The win also earned Leites Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus awards.[16]
Personal life
Leites and his girlfriend had a daughter named Valentina in July 2009.[17]
Championships and Accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Francis Carmont and Tim Boetsch
- Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Ryan Jensen
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tim Boetsch
- Superior Challenge
- SC Middleweight Championship (One time)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2015 January Submission of the Month vs. Tim Boetsch[18]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 29 matches | 25 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 0 |
| By submission | 14 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 25–4 | Tim Boetsch | Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 183 | January 31, 2015 | 2 | 3:45 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. Performance of the Night. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 24–4 | Francis Carmont | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos | August 23, 2014 | 2 | 0:20 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 23–4 | Trevor Smith | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson | April 11, 2014 | 1 | 0:45 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 22–4 | Ed Herman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 167 | November 16, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 21–4 | Tom Watson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 163 | August 3, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 20–4 | Matt Horwich | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Amazon Forest Combat 2 | March 31, 2012 | 2 | 4:39 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 19–4 | Jeremy Horn | Decision (split) | Superior Challenge 7 | April 30, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | Won Superior Challenge Middleweight Championship. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 18–4 | Tor Troéng | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Superior Challenge 6 | October 29, 2010 | 2 | 3:33 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" | Loss | 17–4 | Matt Horwich | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Powerhouse World Promotions: War on the Mainland | August 14, 2010 | 4 | 0:44 | Irvine, California, United States | For PWP Middleweight Championship. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 17–3 | Jesse Taylor | Submission (triangle choke) | MFC 25 | May 7, 2010 | 1 | 2:27 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 16–3 | Rico Washington | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Bitetti Combat MMA 6 | February 25, 2010 | 1 | 2:40 | Brasilia, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 15–3 | Dean Lister | Decision (unanimous) | MFC 23 | December 4, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" | Loss | 14–3 | Alessio Sakara | Decision (split) | UFC 101 | August 8, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" | Loss | 14–2 | Anderson Silva | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 97 | April 18, 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | For UFC Middleweight Championship. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" | Win | 14–1 | Drew McFedries | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 90 | October 25, 2008 | 1 | 1:18 | Rosemont, Illinois, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 13–1 | Nate Marquardt | Decision (split) | UFC 85 | June 7, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Marquardt was docked 2 points during the fight. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 12–1 | Ryan Jensen | Submission (armbar) | UFC 74 | August 25, 2007 | 1 | 3:47 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Submission of the Night. |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 11–1 | Floyd Sword | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale | June 23, 2007 | 1 | 3:50 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 10–1 | Pete Sell | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 69 | April 7, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss | 9–1 | Martin Kampmann | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale | November 11, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 9–0 | José Landi-Jons | Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Jungle Fight 6 | April 29, 2006 | 1 | 2:40 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 8–0 | Osami Shibuya | Decision (unanimous) | MARS | February 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 7–0 | Jason Guida | Submission (armbar) | Ultimate Warriors Combat 1 | December 10, 2005 | 1 | 1:38 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 6–0 | Ronald Jhun | TKO (doctor stoppage) | ROTR: Qualifiers | September 17, 2005 | 3 | 0:32 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 5–0 | Gustavo Machado | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Storm Samurai 8 | July 2, 2005 | 3 | N/A | Brasilia, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 4–0 | Adam Roland | Submission (armbar) | Rumble on the Rock 7 | May 7, 2005 | 1 | 0:49 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 3–0 | Flavio Luiz Moura | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 | May 29, 2004 | N/A | N/A | Vitória, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 2–0 | Lucio Linhares | TKO (corner stoppage) | Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 | May 29, 2004 | 1 | N/A | Vitória, Brazil | |
| style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win | 1–0 | Felipe Arinelli | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Shooto Brazil: Welcome to Hell | November 23, 2003 | 2 | N/A | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Henderson vs. Dos Anjos". UFC.com. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
- ↑ UFC Fighter Rankings
- ↑ "Snakes and lizards". GracieMag.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ↑ "UFC 74 RESPECT". UFC.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ↑ "Report: Thales Leites to Replace Travis Lutter at UFC 74". UFCJunkie.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ↑ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7838&zoneid=13
- ↑ http://mmafrenzy.com/11269/thales-leites-and-tamdan-mccrory-back-in-ufc-after-dana-white-reverses-cuts/
- ↑ Matt Horwich vs. Thales Leites title fight set for Aug. 14 "War on the Mainland" – MMAjunkie.com
- ↑ O'Leary, Ryan (2011-04-30). "Leites Outpoints Horn at Superior Challenge 7". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- ↑ "Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson added to UFC 163". themmareport.com. May 30, 2013.
- ↑ Staff. "Thales Leites Defeats Ed Herman via unanimous decision at UFC 167". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ↑ Alex Schlinsky. "UFC Fight Night 39: Abu Dhabi adds ten fights". fansided.com. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
- ↑ Staff (2014-07-02). "UFC Fight Night 49 adds Thales Leites vs. Francis Carmont". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
- ↑ MMAJunkie.com Staff (2014-07-24). "UFC Fight Night 49 bonuses: Four fighters get $50,000 'Performance' awards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
- ↑ Staff (2014-10-29). "Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch booked for UFC 183 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
- ↑ Staff (2015-02-01). "UFC 183 bonuses: Which fighter on the card doubled up for $100,000?". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
- ↑ "Congrats to our good friend Thales Leites on the birth of his Baby Girl". http://kimurawear.blogspot.com. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
- ↑ http://mmajunkie.com/2015/02/mmajunkies-submission-of-the-month-for-January