Thiago Santos (fighter)

Thiago Santos de Lima[4] (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, he gained entrance into the UFC by competing on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. As of November 14, 2020, he is currently #2 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[5]

For the heavyweight MMA fighter, see Thiago Santos (heavyweight fighter).
Thiago Santos
Born (1984-01-07) January 7, 1984
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nickname(s)Marreta (The Sledgehammer)
ResidenceRio de Janeiro, Brazil
NationalityBrazilian
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
DivisionLight heavyweight (currently)
Middleweight (formerly)
Welterweight (formerly)
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
StyleCapoeira, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out ofRio de Janeiro, Brazil
TeamAmerican Top Team
TATA Fight Team
RankGreen rope in Capoeira[2]
Black prajied in Muay Thai[2]
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Years active2010–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total29
Wins21
By knockout15
By submission1
By decision5
Losses8
By knockout3
By submission3
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Santos was born into a poverty-stricken family in Rio de Janeiro.[6] In early childhood, he suffered from an undiagnosed disease that spawned growing cysts in his stomach, but which were surgically removed.[6] In one of the occasional floods in his city, Santos' family lost their belongings and after a period of homelessness, they settled in the notorious neighborhood of Cidade de Deus.[6] Santos' father died just days after his mixed martial arts debut in 2010.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before starting MMA, Santos trained in capoeira for eight years and was a Brazilian army paratrooper.[2]

He made his professional MMA debut in October 2010. Before joining The Ultimate Fighter, he had a record of 8 wins and only 1 loss.[2]

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil

In March 2013, it was announced that Santos was part of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2.[7]

In the opening round, Santos defeated Gil Freitas by majority decision to get into the TUF house. He was the last pick when it came to the coaches' pick, ending up on Team Werdum. In the elimination round, Santos first faced Pedro Iriê and won by unanimous decision. In the quarterfinals, he faced eventual season winner Leonardo Santos and lost via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Despite not winning the show, Santos was signed to a contract by the UFC. He made his debut on August 3, 2013, at UFC 163 against The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira.[8] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

For his second fight with the promotion, Santos faced Ronny Markes on March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Santos faced Uriah Hall at UFC 175.[9] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Santos next faced Andy Enz on January 30, 2015, at UFC 183.[10] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Santos faced promotional newcomer Steve Bossé on June 27, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 70.[11] He won the fight by knockout in the first round and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.[12][13]

Santos faced Elias Theodorou on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80.[14] He won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–27, and 29–27).[15]

Santos faced Nate Marquardt on May 14, 2016, at UFC 198.[16] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[17]

Santos fought Gegard Mousasi on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200, filling in for an injured Derek Brunson.[18] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[19]

Santos fought Eric Spicely on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95.[20] In a large upset, he lost the fight by submission in the first round.[21]

Santos faced Jack Marshman on February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105.[22] He won the fight via TKO in the second round due to a combination of a spinning heel kick and punches and picked up a Performance of the Night bonus award.[23]

Santos faced Gerald Meerschaert on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213.[24] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[25]

Santos was briefly linked to a bout with promotional newcomer Michał Materla on October 21, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 118.[26] However, it was revealed on 1 September that Materla had reneged on his agreement with the UFC and was re-signing with the Polish regional promotion KSW.[27] In turn, Santos was removed from the card and faced Jack Hermansson a week later at UFC Fight Night 119.[28] He won the fight via technical knock out in round one.[29]

Santos faced Anthony Smith on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125.[30] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[31] This win earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.[32]

Santos faced David Branch on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128.[33] He lost the fight via knockout in round one.[34]

Santos faced promotional newcomer Kevin Holland on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227.[35] He won the fight by unanimous decision (29–27, 29–27, and 29–26).[36]

Move to Light Heavyweight

Santos was scheduled to face Jimi Manuwa in a light heavyweight bout on September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137, replacing injured Glover Teixeira.[37] Manuwa would also pull out of the bout on September 16, 2018 due to a torn hamstring and he was replaced by Eryk Anders.[38] Santos defeated Anders via referee stoppage TKO when Anders failed to make it to his corner at the conclusion of round three.[39] This win earned him the Fight of the Night award.[40]

Santos faced Jimi Manuwa on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231.[41] He won by KO on early 2nd round.[42] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award and tied for most bout in a calendar year with 5.[43]

Santos faced Jan Błachowicz on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 145.[44] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.[45] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[46]

After going undefeated at 3–0 in Light Heavyweight bouts, Santos challenged Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event at UFC 239 on July 6, 2019.[47] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[48] Despite the loss, Santos was the first fighter in MMA history to win a judge's scorecard against Jones.[49] During the fight he sustained a torn left LCL, PCL, MCL, meniscus, and cracked tibia along with a partially torn right meniscus.[50][51] Santos was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on September 12, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 177.[52] However, due to Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19 a week prior to the bout, the pair was rescheduled to fight on October 4, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana.[53] In turn, on September 15, the bout was postponed again as Santos himself tested positive for the virus.[54] The pairing with Teixeira eventually took place on November 7, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira.[55] Santos lost the fight via a submission in round three.[56]

Santos is scheduled to face Aleksandar Rakić on March 6, 2021 at UFC 259.[57]

Personal life

Santos runs a non-profit organization that offers free mixed martial arts training for children coming from poor families.[6]

Santos is in a relationship with fellow UFC athlete, Yana Kunitskaya.[58] The pair got engaged in December, 2020.[59]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
29 matches 21 wins 8 losses
By knockout 15 3
By submission 1 3
By decision 5 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 21–8 Glover Teixeira Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira November 7, 2020 3 1:49 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 21–7 Jon Jones Decision (split) UFC 239 July 6, 2019 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 21–6 Jan Błachowicz TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos February 23, 2019 3 0:39 Prague, Czech Republic Performance of the Night.
Win 20–6 Jimi Manuwa KO (punch) UFC 231 December 8, 2018 2 0:41 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Performance of the Night.
Win 19–6 Eryk Anders TKO (referee stoppage) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders September 22, 2018 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil Light Heavyweight debut. Fight of the Night.
Win 18–6 Kevin Holland Decision (unanimous) UFC 227 August 4, 2018 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 17–6 David Branch KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee April 21, 2018 1 2:30 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 17–5 Anthony Smith TKO (body kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders February 3, 2018 2 1:03 Belém, Brazil Fight of the Night.
Win 16–5 Jack Hermansson TKO (body kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida October 28, 2017 1 4:59 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 15–5 Gerald Meerschaert TKO (punches) UFC 213 July 8, 2017 2 2:04 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–5 Jack Marshman TKO (spinning heel kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne February 19, 2017 2 2:21 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Performance of the Night.
Loss 13–5 Eric Spicely Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg September 24, 2016 1 2:58 Brasília, Brazil
Loss 13–4 Gegard Mousasi KO (punches) UFC 200 July 9, 2016 1 4:32 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–3 Nate Marquardt KO (punches) UFC 198 May 14, 2016 1 3:39 Curitiba, Brazil
Win 12–3 Elias Theodorou Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant December 10, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–3 Steve Bossé KO (head kick) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero June 27, 2015 1 0:29 Hollywood, Florida, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 10–3 Andy Enz TKO (body kick and punches) UFC 183 January 31, 2015 1 1:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 9–3 Uriah Hall Decision (unanimous) UFC 175 July 5, 2014 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–2 Ronny Markes TKO (body kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 March 23, 2014 1 0:53 Natal, Brazil
Loss 8–2 Cezar Ferreira Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 163 August 3, 2013 1 0:47 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 8–1 Denis Figueira TKO (head kick and punches) Watch Out Combat Show 20 July 27, 2012 1 N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss 7–1 Vicente Luque TKO (punches) Spartan MMA 2012 April 28, 2012 1 4:50 São Luís, Brazil
Win 7–0 Junior Vidal TKO (punches) Watch Out Combat Show 18 March 3, 2012 1 N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 6–0 Eneas Souza Submission (rear-naked choke) Watch Out Combat Show 17 December 27, 2011 3 2:50 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 5–0 Marcos Viggiani Decision (unanimous) Spartan MMA 2011 November 26, 2011 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 4–0 Rafael Braga TKO (punches) Explosion Fight August 13, 2011 1 N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 3–0 Mauricio Chueke Decision (unanimous) Watch Out Combat Show 14 July 23, 2011 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 2–0 Gabriel Barreiro TKO (retirement) Senna Fight April 16, 2011 2 1:53 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 1–0 Guilherme Benedito Decision (unanimous) Watch Out Combat Show 10 October 10, 2010 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[65]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 2–2 Leonardo Santos Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2 N/A (airdate) 2 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil Quarter-finals bout.
Win 2–1 Pedro Iriê Decision (unanimous) N/A (airdate) 2 5:00 Wild card bout.
Loss 1–1 William Macário Decision (unanimous) N/A (airdate) 2 5:00 Preliminary bout.
Win 1–0 Gil Freitas Decision (majority) March 17, 2013 (airdate) 2 5:00 TUF: Brazil 2 house entry bout.

[66]

See also

References
  1. "Fight Card - UFC 175 Weidman vs. Machida". UFC.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  2. "Thiago Santos - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  3. @tmarretamma (February 20, 2018). "Uma de nossas turminhas do Projeto Social de Jiu-jítsu Kids" (in Portuguese). Retrieved November 9, 2020 – via Instagram.
  4. "MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SHOW RESULTS" (PDF). Boxing.nv.gov. Cosmopolitan Resort, Las Vegas. December 10, 2015. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  5. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  6. Fernanda Prates (July 3, 2019). "Thiago Santos' unlikely rise, or the joy of being proven embarrassingly wrong". theathletic.com.
  7. "TUF: Brazil 2 debuts on March 17 with Brazil's top 28 welterweights". TUF.tv. March 7, 2013. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  8. "UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  9. "UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  10. "UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  11. Elias Cepeda (2015-04-29). "Steve Bosse scheduled to make UFC debut in June against Thiago Santos". foxsports. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  12. Steven Marrocco (2015-06-27). "UFC Fight Night 70 results: Thiago Santos flattens Steve Bosse in 29 seconds". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
  13. Tristen Critchfield (2015-06-27). "UFC Fight Night Bonuses: Romero, Larkin, Ponzinibbio, and Santos pocket $50K Awards". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
  14. "Elias Theodorou meets Thiago 'Marreta' Santos at UFC Fight Night 80". mmajunkie. 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  15. Ben Fowlkes (2015-12-10). "UFC Fight Night 80 results: Thiago Santos dominates Elias Theodorou late". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  16. "Nate Marquardt vs. Thiago 'Marreta' Santos booked for UFC 198 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  17. Brent Brookhouse (2016-05-14). "UFC 198 results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos crumples Nate Marquardt with brutal flurry". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  18. Mookie Alexander (2016-06-19). "Report: With Brunson out, Thiago Santos fights Gegard Mousasi at UFC 200". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  19. Steven Marrocco (2016-07-11). "UFC 200 results: Gegard Mousasi crushes Thiago 'Marreta' Santos for first-round knockout". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
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  22. Lucas Rezende (2016-12-07). "Santos vs. Marshman set for UFC Halifax". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
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  24. "Gerald Meerschaert meets Thiago 'Marreta' Santos at UFC 213 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
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  26. "Thiago 'Marreta' Santos meets Polish veteran Michal Materla at UFC Gdansk". mmajunkie.com. 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  27. Raphael Marinho (2017-09-01). "Materia gives up fight against Thiago Marreta and renews contract with KSW" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  28. Dann Stupp (2017-09-04). "Michał Materla out, Jack Hermansson in at UFC Fight Night 119 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  29. "UFC Fight Night 119 results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos becomes first to TKO Jack Hermansson". MMAjunkie. 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  30. Marcelo Barone (2017-11-24). "Marreta seeks fourth straight win against Anthony Smith at UFC Belem" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  31. "UFC Fight Night 125 results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos liver kick shuts down gritty Anthony Smith in thriller". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  32. "UFC Fight Night 125 bonuses: Valentina Shevchenko's domination among night's winners". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  33. "Thiago Santos to fight David Branch at UFC Atlantic City". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  34. "UFC Fight Night 128 results: David Branch gets big KO win over Thiago 'Marreta' Santos". MMAjunkie. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  35. Staff (2018-07-24). "DWCS 9 winner Kevin Holland gets call, meets Thiago 'Marreta' Santos at UFC 227". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  36. "UFC 227 results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos downs creative newcomer Kevin Holland". MMAjunkie. 2018-08-05. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  37. Clyde Aidoo (2018-08-21). "Jimi Manuwa vs. Thiago Santos Official for Sao Paulo • MMA News". MMA News. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  38. "Jimi Manuwa injured, Eryk Anders steps in to face Thiago Santos in UFC Sao Paulo headliner". themaclife.com. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
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  40. "UFC Fight Night 137 bonuses: Charles Oliveira's submission record comes with extra cash". MMAjunkie. 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  41. "Jimi Manuwa vs. Thiago 'Marreta' Santos, Eryk Anders vs. Elias Theodorou added to UFC 231". MMAjunkie. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  42. Doyle, Dave (2018-12-08). "UFC 231 results: Thiago Santos knocks out Jimi Manuwa in second round". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
  43. "UFC 231 bonuses: Max Holloway earns double after dominant title defense". MMAjunkie. 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
  44. Ryan Gerbasi (2018-12-21). "Blachowicz vs. Santos added as 5 round bout to ESPN+ 3". ufc.com. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  45. "UFC Prague results: Thiago 'Marreta' Santos patient, then vicious, stops Jan Blachowicz in third". MMAjunkie. 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  46. "UFC Prague bonuses: Stefan Struve's potential swan song among $50,000 awards". MMAjunkie. 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  47. Brett Okamoto (2019-03-27). "Jones-Santos to headline UFC 239". espn.com. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  48. Doherty, Dan (2019-07-07). "UFC 239 Results: Jon Jones Takes Split Decision Over Injured Thiago Santos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  49. Mookie Alexander (2019-07-07). "UFC 239 official scorecards: This was how close Jon Jones came to losing his title to Thiago Santos". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  50. Sherdog.com. "MRI Reveals Multiple Torn Ligaments in Thiago Santos' Left Knee After UFC 239 Bout". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  51. ESPN.com. "One of the knees was a certain thing," Santos said. "Then my doctor looked at my right knee and it turns out I will need a meniscus surgery on it, as well". ESPN. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  52. DNA, MMA. "Thiago Santos vs. Glover Teixeira is het Main Event voor UFC card op 12 september". Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  53. Damon Martin (2020-09-03). "Glover Teixeira tests positive for COVID-19, fight against Thiago Santos rescheduled for UFC event on Oct. 3". mmafighting. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  54. Alexander K. Lee and Guilherme Cruz (2020-09-15). "Thiago Santos tests positive for COVID-19, Oct. 3 fight against Glover Teixeira canceled". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  55. "Sources: Santos-Teixeira being finalized for Nov. 7". ESPN.com. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  56. Doherty, Dan (2020-11-08). "UFC Vegas 13 Results: Glover Teixeira Survives Multiple Knockdowns, Submits Thiago Santos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  57. Murray, Doug (2020-11-13). "UFC: Thiago Santos vs. Aleksandar Rakic Added to March 6 Card". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  58. Adam Martin (November 14, 2019). "Thiago Santos credits girlfriend Yana Kunitskaya for helping him recover after Jon Jones fight". bjpenn.com.
  59. Karim, Saiyed Adeem (2020-12-22). "Newly engaged Thiago Santos and Yana Kunitskaya try out capoeira". Media Referee. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  60. Mike Bohn (July 4, 2019). "UFC 239 pre-event facts: Holly Holm can become UFC's oldest female champ". mmajunkie.com.
  61. "PENICK: 2015 Mid-Year MMA Awards - Knockout of the Year (So Far)".
  62. Dan Tom (January 2, 2019). "MMAjunkie's 2018 'Round of the Year:' Defense goes out the window in Toronto". mmajunkie.com.
  63. "MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for December: A Brazilian and a Brit get into a brawl". mmajunkie.com. January 3, 2019.
  64. Simon Samano (January 5, 2019). "MMAjunkie's 2018 'Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year': Thiago 'Marreta' Santos". mmajunkie.com.
  65. Sherdog.com. "Thiago". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  66. Sherdog.com. "Thiago". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
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