Thiago Alves (fighter)
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Mixed martial arts career
After beginning his fight training at the age of 14, Alves won his first professional bout at just 15 years old, defeating a 25-year-old by unanimous decision. At 19, Thiago relocated from Brazil to Coconut Creek, Florida to train full-time at the prestigious American Top Team camp.[2]
UFC career
After beginning his career in smaller organizations such as the Ironheart Crown, Absolute Fighting Championships and King of the Cage, Alves, with a record of 8–3, received an invitation to make his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 against fellow UFC newcomer Spencer Fisher, The fight would take place on Alves' twenty-second birthday.
Despite having early success in the bout, especially on the ground, Alves fell victim to a dramatic triangle choke late in the second round.
Thiago returned to action on the undercard of UFC 56, defeating previously-undefeated Ansar Chalangov by TKO due to punches just 2:25 into the first round.
At UFC 59, Thiago was matched up against Derrick Noble, a fighter he had previously lost to by rear naked choke. The two fighters were both aggressive in a fight that took place on the feet, Noble had some success, hitting with a flurry, forcing Alves to cover up & backpedal until his back was against the cage. Looking to capitalize, Noble rushed in when Alves caught him with a perfectly timed counterpunch that won him the bout.
At Ultimate Fight Night 5, Alves was matched up against fellow up-and-comer Jon Fitch. In a match-up of two future top welterweight contenders, Fitch defeated Alves by TKO started by a successful upkick to the head of Alves 4:37 into the second round.
Alves returned to his winning ways at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 - The Final Chapter, defeating veteran John Alessio by unanimous decision.
"Pitbull" completed a busy 2006, during which he fought four times. At UFC 66, he dominated Tony DeSouza, knocking out the jiu-jitsu black belt with a knee in the second round. Following his victory, it was announced that Alves tested positive for a diuretic, spironolactone, which he supposedly used to help him lose water weight in order to make the 170-pound limit.[3] As a result of the failed drug test, Alves was suspended eight months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and fined $5,500.[4]
Alves returned at UFC Fight Night 11, where he knocked out Japanese fighter Kuniyoshi Hironaka with a punch and knee in the second round. Less than two months later, Alves faced off against veteran contender Chris Lytle at UFC 78. After an exciting stand-up battle, doctors halted the bout at the end of the second round because of a cut above the eye of Lytle—declaring Alves the winner by doctor stoppage.
In his first bout of 2008 at UFC Fight Night 13, Alves faced his biggest test to date, as he was matched up against welterweight contender Karo Parisyan. After resisting any attempts to grapple but failing to amount any significant offense during the stand-up exchanges throughout the first round, "The Pitbull" scored a knee to the head of Parisyan, knocking down the judo expert before finishing him on the ground with strikes.
Rising up the welterweight ranks
Once again taking just two months between bouts, Alves accepted a fight against former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, a fighter widely considered the most dominant champion in UFC history. The welterweight bout, which served as the main event of UFC 85 in London, was scheduled as a late replacement after Chuck Liddell had to pull out of his headliner fight against Rashad Evans with a hamstring injury.
Prior to the bout, Alves surprised many by missing weight for the welterweight bout—coming in at 174 pounds.[5] Despite his opponent missing the 170-pound limit, Hughes accepted the fight at a catchweight. Despite the pre-fight blunder, Alves shocked the crowd by dominating the heavily-favored former champion. After picking apart Hughes standing and displaying vastly-improved takedown defense throughout the first round, "The Pitbull" knocked Hughes down with a flying knee and followed him to the ground with punches early in the second, earning a TKO stoppage. In the post fight interview, Alves attributed not making weight to spraining his ankle two weeks before the fight.
Next, Alves was slated to face Diego Sanchez at UFC 90, in what many believed would be a match for the number-one contender spot. Sanchez, however, would be forced to pull out of the bout just weeks before the event due to injury.[6]
Josh Koscheck, another top-contender and 4-time NCAA wrestling All-American, stepped in for Sanchez on short notice.[7] Alves controlled most of the fight and won via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 30–27).[8] The Brazilian's improved takedown-defense was once again on display, as the American Top Team fighter forced Koscheck into a kick boxing battle. Alves' devastating leg kicks proved to be a factor throughout the bout, taking away much of Koscheck's mobility.[9] He also managed to drop Koscheck several times during the 3-round bout, but Koscheck's quick recovery enabled him to survive the onslaughts.[9]
Welterweight title shot
With his impressive victory over Koscheck, Alves was on a 7-fight win streak, winning 9 of his past 10 bouts. After consecutive dominant performances against Parisyan, Hughes and Koscheck, Dana White announced that Alves had earned a title shot against the winner of the welterweight title-fight at UFC 94. After Georges St. Pierre defended his title at UFC 94, Alves entered the ring to congratulate him. St. Pierre said that he was looking forward to facing Alves in the cage.[10] Thiago Alves fought Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on July 11, 2009 at UFC 100. [11] During the fight, Alves was taken down a total of ten times. Although he showed potential on his feet and put in a resilient performance on the ground, continually getting back up, he was ultimately subjected to a clinic put on by St.Pierre and being outwrestled in all five rounds ultimately losing via unanimous decision.
Post Welterweight title shot
Alves was scheduled to face Jon Fitch at UFC 107[12] in a rematch of their bout at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5. However Alves suffered a knee injury, forcing him to withdrawfrom the fight. Alves was then scheduled to face Fitch on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111: St.Pierre vs. Hardy.[13] However, on March 25, Alves was taken off the card due to the discovery of an arteriovenous malformation in the brain from a pre fight CAT scan.[14][15][16] Alves had the corrective surgery on March 31, 2010 and was expected to fight again during the summer of 2010.[17] The Alves/Fitch rematch, originally slated for UFC 107, then UFC 111[18], then UFC 115,[19] finally took place at UFC 117.[20] This fight was confirmed to be the number one contendership for the welterweight championship (to fight the winner of the St-Pierre/Koscheck bout). Alves again failed to make weight, weighing in at 171.5 lb, meaning he had to give up 20% of his fight purse. Alves would go on to lose to Fitch via unanimous decision.[21] Dana White stated in the post fight press conference that Alves could be moving to the middleweight division.[22]
Days later, Alves said that he'd been given one more chance by the UFC to compete as a welterweight.[23]
Alves faced John Howard on December 11, 2010 at UFC 124.[24] Alves won by a dominant unanimous decision in one of his best performances in the UFC, out-striking and out-wrestling Howard and eventually getting a knockdown in the third round with a clean punch.
Following the victory over Howard, Alves lost to Rick Story on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130 via unanimous decision. Alves had a slow start to both the first and second round, during which Story pressured Alves against the cage but was unable to land any significant damage or takedowns. Alves managed to find his rhythm and began landing clean strikes that resulted in him winning the third round, however ended up losing 29-28 on all three judges score cards.[25]
Alves faced promotional newcomer Papy Abedi at UFC 138. After exchanging hard leg and body kicks, and showing good takedown defence, Alves was able to land a two-punch combination that dropped Abedi, securing full mount and opening up a cut due to elbows. Displaying improved ground control, Alves defeated Abedi via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of round 1 to secure his first submission victory in the UFC (and first submission victory in his MMA career that wasn't due to strikes).[26]
Alves faced Martin Kampmann on March 3, 2012 at UFC on FX 2.[27] After avoiding takedowns and outstriking Kampmann for the majority of the fight, Alves was submitted in the final minute of the bout after being caught in a guillotine while trying to secure a takedown.
Alves was expected to face Yoshihiro Akiyama on July 21, 2012 at UFC 149.[28] However, Akiyama was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Siyar Bahadurzada.[29]
Mixed martial arts record
28 matches | 19 wins | 9 losses |
By knockout | 11 | 1 |
By submission | 2 | 4 |
By decision | 6 | 4 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 19–9 | Martin Kampmann | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann | March 3, 2012 | 3 | 4:12 | Sydney, Australia | |
Win | 19–8 | Papy Abedi | Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 138 | November 5, 2011 | 1 | 3:32 | Birmingham, England | |
Loss | 18–8 | Rick Story | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 130 | May 28, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 18–7 | John Howard | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 124 | December 11, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
Loss | 17–7 | Jon Fitch | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 117 | August 7, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Oakland, California, United States | Catchweight Bout (171.5 lb); Alves did not make weight |
Loss | 17–6 | Georges St-Pierre | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 100 | July 11, 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For UFC Welterweight Championship |
Win | 17–5 | Josh Koscheck | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 90 | October 25, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Rosemont, Illinois, United States | |
Win | 16–5 | Matt Hughes | TKO (flying knee and punches) | UFC 85 | June 7, 2008 | 2 | 1:02 | London, England | Catchweight Bout (174 lb); Alves did not make weight. Knockout of the night |
Win | 15–5 | Karo Parisyan | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon | April 2, 2008 | 2 | 0:34 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
Win | 14–5 | Chris Lytle | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 78 | November 17, 2007 | 2 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Fight of the Night |
Win | 13–5 | Kuniyoshi Hironaka | TKO (punch and knee) | UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs Florian | September 19, 2007 | 2 | 4:04 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 12–5 | Tony DeSouza | KO (knee) | UFC 66 | December 30, 2006 | 2 | 1:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Tested positive for banned diuretics |
Win | 11–5 | John Alessio | Decision (unanimous) | Ortiz vs Shamrock 3 – The Final Chapter | October 10, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
Loss | 10–5 | Jon Fitch | TKO (upkick and punches) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 | June 28, 2006 | 2 | 4:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 10–4 | Derrick Noble | TKO (punches) | UFC 59 | April 15, 2006 | 1 | 2:54 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
Win | 9–4 | Ansar Chalangov | TKO (punches) | UFC 56 | November 19, 2005 | 1 | 2:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 8–4 | Spencer Fisher | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2 | October 3, 2005 | 2 | 4:43 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 8–3 | Jeff Cox | KO (knee and punches) | KOTC 48: Payback | February 25, 2005 | 1 | 0:15 | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | |
Win | 7–3 | Jason Chambers | Submission (punches) | IHC 8: Ethereal | November 20, 2004 | 1 | 4:57 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | |
Win | 6–3 | Nuri Shakir | Decision (unanimous) | Absolute Fighting Championships 7 | February 27, 2004 | 2 | 5:00 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
Loss | 5–3 | Derrick Noble | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Absolute Fighting Championships 6 | December 6, 2003 | 2 | 2:13 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
Win | 5–2 | Marcus Davis | Decision (split) | Hardcore Fighting Championships 2 | October 18, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
Win | 4–2 | Mike Littlefield | TKO (punches) | Mass Destruction 12 | August 16, 2003 | 2 | 0:50 | Taunton, Massachusetts, United States | |
Win | 3–2 | Carlos Alexandre Pereira | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Bitetti Combat Nordeste 2 | March 20, 2003 | 2 | N/A | Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil | |
Win | 2–2 | Fabio Holanda | Decision (unanimous) | Bitetti Combat Nordeste 1 | November 28, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Natal, Brazil | |
Win | 1–2 | Wilson Belchoir | KO (punch) | Champions Night 3 | October 8, 2001 | 1 | N/A | Brazil | |
Loss | 0–2 | Lucas Lopes | Decision (unanimous) | X: Fight | September 28, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Joao Pessoa, Brazil | |
Loss | 0–1 | Gleison Tibau | Submission (armbar) | Champions Night 2 | June 30, 2001 | 2 | 3:31 | Fortaleza, Brazil |
See also
References
- ^ http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/other-sports/2009/04/09/UFC-Dana-White-confirms-UFC-100-supercard/gnid-47926/
- ^ "Thiago "Pitbull" Alves – Thiago is currently the 3rd best welterweight in the world Official Website of the MMA/UFC Superstar – Biography". Thiagoalves.net. Retrieved February 15, 2009. [dead link ]
- ^ Gross, Josh (January 4, 2007). "NSAC Says Alves Tests Positive for Diuretic". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Stupp, Dann (February 16, 2007). "Thiago Alves Suspended Eight Months, Fined $5,500 by NSAC". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ "UFC 85 weigh-in results for 'Bedlam' PPV event in London; Thiago Alves misses weight". Mmamania.com. June 6, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ Herman, Gary (October 13, 2008). "Diego Sanchez out of UFC 90 match-up with Thiago Alves; to be replaced by Josh Koscheck". FiveOuncesofPain.com. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ Pishna, Ken (October 13, 2008). "Koscheck Steps in to Face Alves at UFC 90". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ "UFC 90 Results and Live Play-by-Play". MMAWeekly.com. October 23, 2008.
- ^ a b Rousseau, Robert (October 25, 2008). "UFC 90 Review: Anderson Silva retains title". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ Pishna, Ken (December 9, 2008). "Thiago Alves Gets Next Shot at UFC 170 Title". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ http://ballhype.com/story/report_georges_st_pierre_vs_thiago_alves_ufc_100/
- ^ "Jon Fitch to rematch Thiago Alves at UFC 107 in December". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves Rematch Scheduled for UFC 111 on March 27 in New Jersey". mmafrenzy.com. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- ^ Fistic Medicine: Alves and ‘Brain Irregularity’
- ^ "Thiago Alves Out of UFC Fight Due to Brain Irregularity; Hopes for Quick Return". tvguide.com. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ Thiago Alves pulled from UFC 111 fight card after CAT Scan reveals brain irregularity (Updated)
- ^ Thiago Alves Has Brain Surgery, Can Train in 2 Weeks
- ^ "Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch agree to rematch at UFC 111 in March". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- ^ "Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch II rebooked for UFC 115 in June". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
- ^ "With official medical clearance, Thiago Alves set for UFC 117 fight with Jon Fitch". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ "UFC 117 main card recap, miracle submission saves champ Anderson Silva". mmajunkie.com. August 8, 2010.
- ^ "WHITE FED UP WITH THIAGO ALVES MISSING WEIGHT". MMAWeekly.com. August 8, 2010.
- ^ "Thiago Alves: The nightmare is over, but I'm on my last chance". mmafighting.com. August 18, 2010.
- ^ "Thiago Alves vs. John Howard targeted for UFC 124". mmajunkie.com. September 2, 2010.
- ^ "Thiago Alves Returns to UFC in May, Expected to Face Rick Story". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
- ^ Martin, Damon. "Thiago Alves Back in Action at UFC 138 Against Swedish Newcomer Papy Abedi". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "UFC on FX 2, Alves vs. Kampmann official for Allphones Arena in Sydney". MMAjunkie.com. December 14, 2011.
- ^ "Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Thiago Alves targeted for UFC 149 in Calgary". mmajunkie.com. April 10, 2012.
- ^ "Siyar Bahadurzada replaces Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 149, meets Thiago Alves". mmajunkie.com. May 8, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
External links
- 1983 births
- Living people
- Brazilian Muay Thai practitioners
- Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Brazilian mixed martial artists
- Welterweight mixed martial artists
- People from Fortaleza
- Brazilian expatriates in the United States
- Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases
- Doping cases in mixed martial arts