Thales Leites waited four years for his return to the UFC. Saturday night, he made the second chance count.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, who once headlined a UFC event challenging Anderson Silva, dominated England’s Tom “Kong” Watson for a unanimous-decision victory in a middleweight bout at UFC 163 in the HSBC Arena in Rio.
“I would like to say to all the world that I’m back, I’m back in the UFC where I belong, Leites (21-4) said. “I’ve been four years away from this cage. I had some problems, surgeries on both my knees. This is my home.”
More Coverage: UFC 163 Results | UFC news
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Leites smothered Watson on the ground in the first round, keeping him on his back for more than three minutes. In the second he scored a tight armbar, but couldn’t get the submission. Toward the end of the round, Leites appeared to slow considerably.
But just as questions were being asked about Leites’ conditioning, which was a problem during his first UFC stint, Leites turned it back on in round three. Leites opened a gruesome cut over Watson’s left eye with a left hand early in the round, then dominated the final stanza.
Leites has won seven of his past eight bouts. Watson dropped to 21-6.