Thales Leites

Thales Leites
Born Thales Leites Lourenço
(1981-09-06)September 6, 1981 (age 34)
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality Brazilian
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Weight 186 lb (84 kg; 13.3 st)
Division Middleweight
Reach 78.0 in (198 cm)[1]
Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai
Team Nova União
Rank 1st degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Welton Ribeiro[2]
Years active 2003–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 30
Wins 25
By knockout 4
By submission 14
By decision 7
Losses 5
By submission 1
By decision 4
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 February 1, 2016 he is #9 in official UFC Middleweight rankings.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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.[4] 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.[5] Leites accepted the fight after Travis Lutter, Jensen's original opponent, was forced to withdraw from the event.[6] 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".[7]

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.[8] 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[9] 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.[10]

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.[11] He won the fight via dominant unanimous decision.

Leites next faced Ed Herman on November 16, 2013 at UFC 167.[12] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Leites faced Trevor Smith on April 11, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 39.[13] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Leites faced Francis Carmont on August 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 49.[14] He won the fight via second round knockout. The win also earned Leites his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[15]

Leites then faced Tim Boetsch on January 31, 2015 at UFC 183.[16] 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.[17]

Leites faced Michael Bisping on July 18, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72.[18] He lost the fight via split decision.[19]

Leites is expected to face Gegard Mousasi on February 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84.[20]

Personal life

Leites and his girlfriend had a daughter named Valentina in July 2009.[21]

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Gegard Mousasi UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping February 27, 2016 London, England
Loss 25–5 Michael Bisping Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites July 18, 2015 5 5:00 Glasgow, Scotland
Win 25–4 Tim Boetsch Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC 183 January 31, 2015 2 3:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night.
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.
Win 23–4 Trevor Smith TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson April 11, 2014 1 0:45 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 22–4 Ed Herman Decision (unanimous) UFC 167 November 16, 2013 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 21–4 Tom Watson Decision (unanimous) UFC 163 August 3, 2013 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 20–4 Matt Horwich Submission (arm-triangle choke) Amazon Forest Combat 2 March 31, 2012 2 4:39 Manaus, Brazil Catchweight (194 lbs) bout.
Win 19–4 Jeremy Horn Decision (split) Superior Challenge 7 April 30, 2011 3 5:00 Stockholm, Sweden Won the Superior Challenge Middleweight Championship.
Win 18–4 Tor Troéng Submission (rear-naked choke) Superior Challenge 6 October 29, 2010 2 3:33 Stockholm, Sweden
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 the PWP Middleweight Championship.
Win 17–3 Jesse Taylor Submission (triangle choke) MFC 25 May 7, 2010 1 2:27 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 16–3 Rico Washington Submission (arm-triangle choke) Bitetti Combat MMA 6 February 25, 2010 1 2:40 Brasília, Brazil
Win 15–3 Dean Lister Decision (unanimous) MFC 23 December 4, 2009 3 5:00 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Loss 14–3 Alessio Sakara Decision (split) UFC 101 August 8, 2009 3 5:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss 14–2 Anderson Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC 97 April 18, 2009 5 5:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada For the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Win 14–1 Drew McFedries Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 90 October 25, 2008 1 1:18 Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win 13–1 Nate Marquardt Decision (split) UFC 85 June 7, 2008 3 5:00 London, England Marquardt was deducted two points during the fight due to illegal strikes.
Win 12–1 Ryan Jensen Submission (armbar) UFC 74 August 25, 2007 1 3:47 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Submission of the Night.
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
Win 10–1 Pete Sell Decision (unanimous) UFC 69 April 7, 2007 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States
Loss 9–1 Martin Kampmann Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale November 11, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 José Landi-Jons Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Jungle Fight 6 April 29, 2006 1 2:40 Manaus, Brazil
Win 8–0 Osami Shibuya Decision (unanimous) MARS February 4, 2006 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 7–0 Jason Guida Submission (armbar) Ultimate Warriors Combat 1 December 10, 2005 1 1:38 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 6–0 Ronald Jhun TKO (doctor stoppage) ROTR: Qualifiers September 17, 2005 3 0:32 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 5–0 Gustavo Machado Submission (arm-triangle choke) Storm Samurai 8 July 2, 2005 3 N/A Brasília, Brazil
Win 4–0 Adam Roland Submission (armbar) Rumble on the Rock 7 May 7, 2005 1 0:49 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 3–0 Flavio Luiz Moura Submission (arm-triangle choke) Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 May 29, 2004 N/A N/A Vitória, Brazil
Win 2–0 Lucio Linhares TKO (corner stoppage) Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 May 29, 2004 1 N/A Vitória, Brazil
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. 1 2 "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Bisping vs. Leites". UFC.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Thales Leites - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fighter Rankings - UFC ®". UFC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Snakes and lizards". GracieMag.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  5. ↑ "UFC 74 RESPECT". UFC.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  6. ↑ "Report: Thales Leites to Replace Travis Lutter at UFC 74". UFCJunkie.com. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  7. ↑ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7838&zoneid=13
  8. ↑ "Thales Leites and Tamdan McCrory Back in UFC After Dana White Reverses Cuts". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Matt Horwich vs. Thales Leites title fight set for Aug. 14 "War on the Mainland" – MMAjunkie.com
  10. ↑ O'Leary, Ryan (2011-04-30). "Leites Outpoints Horn at Superior Challenge 7". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
  11. ↑ "Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson added to UFC 163". themmareport.com. May 30, 2013.
  12. ↑ Staff. "Thales Leites Defeats Ed Herman via unanimous decision at UFC 167". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  13. ↑ Alex Schlinsky. "UFC Fight Night 39: Abu Dhabi adds ten fights". fansided.com. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  14. ↑ Staff (2014-07-02). "UFC Fight Night 49 adds Thales Leites vs. Francis Carmont". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  15. ↑ MMAJunkie.com Staff (2014-07-24). "UFC Fight Night 49 bonuses: Four fighters get $50,000 'Performance' awards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  16. ↑ Staff (2014-10-29). "Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch booked for UFC 183 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  17. ↑ Staff (2015-02-01). "UFC 183 bonuses: Which fighter on the card doubled up for $100,000?". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  18. ↑ Lee Williams (2015-05-25). "Michael Bisping vs. Leites booked for UFC Fight Night Glasgow". mmacrazytv.com. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  19. ↑ Steven Marrocco (18 July 2015). "UFC Fight Night 72 results: Michael Bisping survives Thales Leites with split call". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  20. ↑ Staff (2015-12-27). "Gegard Mousasi now meets Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 83 in London". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  21. ↑ "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. External link in |publisher= (help)
  22. ↑ "MMAjunkie’s ‘Submission of the Month’ for January - MMAjunkie". MMAjunkie. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

External links

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