Tag: Thales Leites

Video: Thales Leites Retires On High Note In Brazil

Longtime veterans Thales Leites and Hector Lombard met on the preliminary card of tonight’s (Sat., September 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 137 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Little did we know, it was Leites’ last fight in his long and decorated MMA career. It also wasn’t without some adversity, however. Leites’ knee was swollen quite gruesomely at […]

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Longtime veterans Thales Leites and Hector Lombard met on the preliminary card of tonight’s (Sat., September 22, 2018) UFC Fight Night 137 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil.

Little did we know, it was Leites’ last fight in his long and decorated MMA career. It also wasn’t without some adversity, however. Leites’ knee was swollen quite gruesomely at one point.

Check it out:

It wasn’t the most eventful fight, yet Leites was able to get his hand raised by decision after three rounds:

Leites then did something that was perhaps unexpected. The middleweight mainstay dropped his gloves in the Octagon and retired in his home country of Brazil:

Leites leaves the sport behind with a quietly historic career. He is tied for the third-most wins in UFC middleweight history with 13. That’s an impressive feat to be sure.

“Milk” debuted in the Octagon all the way back in November 2006. He lost a decision to Martin Kampmann. He then ran up five straight wins afterward. That earned him a title shot against all-time great former champ Anderson Silva in April 2009. The fight is still largely considered one of the worst UFC title fights of all-time.

But he still fought “The Spider” in his prime.

Leites also probably could not have chosen a better moment to go out on top after a close victory in his Brazilian homeland. He beat Lombard yet had lost three of his previous five UFC bouts. He was a talented submission artist who tapped out 15 opponents in his nearly 15-year mixed martial arts career. Leites faced top names like Silva, Michael Bisping, Lombard, Jeremy Horn, and Tim Boetsch.

We wish Leites all the best in his post-fight life.

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Thales Leites to Retire at UFC Fight Night 137

At UFC Fight Night 137 in Sao Paulo Brazil, Thales Leites will be making his final walk to the Octagon when he takes on Hector Lombard. And for the 36-year-old Leites, his mind is made up: “It’s not an idea,” Leites said in an interview with MMAjunkie….

At UFC Fight Night 137 in Sao Paulo Brazil, Thales Leites will be making his final walk to the Octagon when he takes on Hector Lombard. And for the 36-year-old Leites, his mind is made up: “It’s not an idea,” Leites said in an interview with MMAjunkie. “It’s been decided, I will do my last […]

The post Thales Leites to Retire at UFC Fight Night 137 appeared first on MMA News.

Thales Leites vs. Hector Lombard Added to UFC São Paulo

UFC Fight Night 137 will see another Brazil native perform in front of his country with former middleweight title challenger Thales Leites going one on one with fellow UFC veteran Hector Lombard, according to multiple sources. 36-year old Thales Leites…

UFC Fight Night 137 will see another Brazil native perform in front of his country with former middleweight title challenger Thales Leites going one on one with fellow UFC veteran Hector Lombard, according to multiple sources. 36-year old Thales Leites has shared the Octagon with the very best: gladiators the likes of Michael Bisping, Gegard […]

The post Thales Leites vs. Hector Lombard Added to UFC São Paulo appeared first on MMA News.

UFC 216 Notable Bouts – Moraga vs. Bibulatov, Leites vs. Tavares

UFC 216 – John Moraga Vs. Magomed Bibulatov Magomed Bibulatov had his sheer existence among the ranks of the UFC and its roster in itself has proven to be a bit of a hassle for the UFC. This fighter from Russia, has managed to stay on the UFC against all odds and has done so […]

UFC 216 – John Moraga Vs. Magomed Bibulatov

Magomed Bibulatov had his sheer existence among the ranks of the UFC and its roster in itself has proven to be a bit of a hassle for the UFC. This fighter from Russia, has managed to stay on the UFC against all odds and has done so pretty comfortably so far.

He has looked a solid, well rounded fighter so far in his career and the UFC have now stepped up his challenges. Bibulatov will now face experienced flyweight John Moraga.

While Moraga’s prime may be behind him, there is no denying that he is still a serious challenger and will most certainly put Bibulatov through his paces come UFC 216.

Can Bibulatov come out on top in this test? The odds seem to suggest he can! If he does, the UFC are going to have to scratch their heads about how they will promote him and what they plan for his future.

Thales Leites Vs. Brad Tavares

If there is one fight on the card for UFC 216 wherein both fighters are high on confidence, then it has to be Thales Leites Vs. Brad Tavares. Both fighters are coming into this fight on the back of strong winning streaks that have boosted their confidences sky high. In his last outing, Leites beat Sam Alveyand Tavares’ most recent fight was a convincing victory against Elias Theodorou.

If there is one thing we know about the UFC, they are not fans of letting fighters from the middle ranks break into the top 5s and so on. So, what are they going to do about it? Simple, they will pit them against each other. Ergo, Thales Leities Vs. Brad Tavares is scheduled for October 7th and someone will have to be on the losing end.

This is a difficult one to call. In terms of morale, both fighters are close to 100%, but Leites has the upper hand in terms of experience. However, this is going to make for a very technical, highly competitive and interesting fight given that both fighters are excellent grapplers.

Thales Leites: ‘I Would Like a Rematch With Krzysztof Jotko’

Thales Leites has revenge on his mind. The one-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title contender got back in the win column this past Saturday night (April 22). Leites nabbed a unanimous decision victory over Sam Alvey. It was Leites’ first victory since Aug. 2016. At the very least, Leites will hold on to his […]

Thales Leites has revenge on his mind. The one-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title contender got back in the win column this past Saturday night (April 22). Leites nabbed a unanimous decision victory over Sam Alvey. It was Leites’ first victory since Aug. 2016. At the very least, Leites will hold on to his […]

Thales Leites on Sam Alvey: ‘I’ve Been Analyzing Him For Some Time’

Thales Leites feels preparation time for the Sam Alvey fight will pay off. The two middleweights are set to compete this Saturday night (April 22) inside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The match-up will be part of the UFC Fight Night 108 card headlined by a grudge match between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov. […]

Thales Leites feels preparation time for the Sam Alvey fight will pay off. The two middleweights are set to compete this Saturday night (April 22) inside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The match-up will be part of the UFC Fight Night 108 card headlined by a grudge match between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov. […]