UFC Fight Night 82’s main card began with a welterweight tilt between Mike Pyle (27-11-1) and Sean Spencer (12-5). While “Quicksand” hoped to avoid his third straight defeat, “Black Magic” looked to get put his controversial loss to Cathal Pendred behind him. Spencer became the aggressor early in the fight. Pyle got in a kick
UFC Fight Night 82’s main card began with a welterweight tilt between Mike Pyle (27-11-1) and Sean Spencer (12-5). While “Quicksand” hoped to avoid his third straight defeat, “Black Magic” looked to get put his controversial loss to Cathal Pendred behind him.
Spencer became the aggressor early in the fight. Pyle got in a kick to the body. “Black Magic” found the home for his jabs. “Quicksand” targeted the leg of his opponent with a couple of kicks. Pyle landed a left hand, but was dropped with a right hand.
Pyle returned to his feet and had blood running from his nose. The round ended with Pyle throwing a series of punches.
The second stanza opened with Spencer in his usual boxing stance. Pyle began creating distance using oblique kicks. “Black Magic” was rocked by a forearm. Spencer recovered and connected with a left hook. A counter left hand found the mark for “Quicksand.” Pyle took his opponent down and had his back against the fence to end the second frame.
Spencer went after Pyle at the start of the final round. A combination connected for “Black Magic.” Pyle looked to play possum as commentator Brian Stann pointed out. The fight went to the ground and “Quickstand” looked for a choke. He couldn’t get it, but landed a knee to the body. The fight returned to the feet. Pyle landed a knee and Spencer responded with a left hook. Spencer lunged forward, but ate a knee. “Black Magic” was then rocked by a spinning back elbow and ate some knees and elbows. Referee Yves Lavigne finally stopped the fight as Pyle had been asking him to do.
Final Result: Mike Pyle def. Sean Spencer via TKO (Strikes) – R3, 4:25
Thiago made his UFC debut in February 2009 as a 10-0 prospect, carrying a rad backstory as a B.O.P.E. supercop. He was immediately thrown to the wolves, drawing Josh Koscheck as his debut opponent at UFC 95. Koscheck was a heavy favorite to beat the unheralded newcomer. Instead, this happened:
Thiago dropped a decision to Jon Fitch in his next outing, but then posted back to back wins against Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick. Suddenly, Paulo Thiago seemed like a legitimate threat in the welterweight division. Unfortunately, that was essentially his career peak in the UFC. He would never win two consecutive fights again, and the opponents he lost to went from top-of-the-food-chain (Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez) to pretty dangerous (Siyar Bahadurzada, Dong Hyun Kim) to downright obscure (Brandon Thatch, Gasan Umalatov). The last time people were talking about Paulo Thiago, it was because of his gig working security at the World Cup.
Before his latest loss to Sean Spencer, Thiago signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC, but of course, UFC contracts can be ended at any time by the promoter, because they’re not exactly “contracts” in the traditional sense; don’t get me started. Good luck with your next gig, Paulo.
(Paulo Thiago gets cracked by Sean Spencer during their fight in September. / Photo via Getty)
Thiago made his UFC debut in February 2009 as a 10-0 prospect, carrying a rad backstory as a B.O.P.E. supercop. He was immediately thrown to the wolves, drawing Josh Koscheck as his debut opponent at UFC 95. Koscheck was a heavy favorite to beat the unheralded newcomer. Instead, this happened:
Thiago dropped a decision to Jon Fitch in his next outing, but then posted back to back wins against Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick. Suddenly, Paulo Thiago seemed like a legitimate threat in the welterweight division. Unfortunately, that was essentially his career peak in the UFC. He would never win two consecutive fights again, and the opponents he lost to went from top-of-the-food-chain (Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez) to pretty dangerous (Siyar Bahadurzada, Dong Hyun Kim) to downright obscure (Brandon Thatch, Gasan Umalatov). The last time people were talking about Paulo Thiago, it was because of his gig working security at the World Cup.
Before his latest loss to Sean Spencer, Thiago signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC, but of course, UFC contracts can be ended at any time by the promoter, because they’re not exactly “contracts” in the traditional sense; don’t get me started. Good luck with your next gig, Paulo.
