Tag: Thales Leites

Gegard Mousasi Picks Apart Thales Leites In Decision Win

Two respected mixed martial arts (MMA) veterans did battle inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 84. The two 185-pounders looking to recover from losses were former Strikeforce light heavyweight title holder Gegard Mousasi (38-6-2) and former Superior Challenge middleweight champion Thales Leites (25-6). Immediately Leites went for a takedown and pushed his opponent against

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Two respected mixed martial arts (MMA) veterans did battle inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 84. The two 185-pounders looking to recover from losses were former Strikeforce light heavyweight title holder Gegard Mousasi (38-6-2) and former Superior Challenge middleweight champion Thales Leites (25-6).

Immediately Leites went for a takedown and pushed his opponent against the fence. Leites pulled guard, but Mousasi avoided a grappling exchange on the ground. Mousasi threw out a jab. A leg kick found the mark for the Brazilian. He went for a takedown, but “The Dreamcather” stuffed it. Leites again tried to pull guard, but Mousasi was able to keep the fight standing.

Mousasi landed a stiff straight right hand. Leites missed a wild hook. Mousasi avoided most of his opponent’s strikes and kept landing one strike at a time.  The Brazilian had no answer for Mousasi and couldn’t come close to completing a takedown. The fans became restless towards the end of round two, but responded to Mousasi’s kicks while Leites laid on his back.

Leites pulled guard at the start of the final round. “The Dreamcatcher” returned to his feet and continued to throw his jab. Leites landed a left hook and pushed forward with strikes to his opponent. The swelling over the eye of Leites looked to take its toll. Mousasi connected with a right hand and gained top control shortly after on a bloodied Leites.

Unsurprisingly, all three judges saw Mousasi as the winner.

Final Result: Gegard Mousasi def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

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UFC London Predictions

Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping: Mike Drahota: There’s no doubt that Silva certainly deserves a spot among the fight game’s greats for his record-setting title reign and unparalleled knockout prowess in the Octagon. However, weighing in his recent drug test failures and suspensions, his injury, and th fact that he doesn’t have an official win

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Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping:

Mike Drahota:

There’s no doubt that Silva certainly deserves a spot among the fight game’s greats for his record-setting title reign and unparalleled knockout prowess in the Octagon. However, weighing in his recent drug test failures and suspensions, his injury, and th fact that he doesn’t have an official win since 2012, I was actually leaning towards Bisping. That changed when the two were face-to-face, as Silva undoubtedly got the better of the loudmouth ‘Count,’ who seemingly reverted back to his more brash heel ways for this bout. While the Cypriot has looked very serviceable during his recent two-fight win streak, Silva seems motivated and angry like he was against Chael Sonnen, and that should spell trouble for Bisping. Silva via round two TKO.

Rory Kernaghan:

I can’t say it was difficult picking this fight at all. Outside his high pace and cardio-based gameplan, there’s unfortunately not much more I can say Michael Bisping offers Anderson Silva. The former middleweight champion has the footwork, the striking power and speed advantage, the height and reach advantage, and the Jiu-jitsu advantage. It would be foolish to think this fight would go any other way except ‘The Spider’s’ in such a pairing, Anderson Silva by knockout round one.

Mike Henken:

I completely understand that “The Spider” is not the same version of himself that once ruled the middleweight division for nearly seven years. Winless since 2012, Silva suffered a gruesome broken leg back in 2013, and is now returning after a yearlong layoff after testing positive for steroids in a fight that he didn’t look amazing in anyway. However, I just have a feeling in my gut that we may see some glimpses of vintage Silva and his elite level Muay Thai on display in London. Bisping has looked good on his recent two-fight win streak, and has always possessed solid footwork, crisp combos, and strong cardio. At the end of the day, however, I see the man many consider the greatest of all-time getting it done early. Silva by second round TKO.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Thales Leites:

Mike Drahota:

The middleweight co-main event may not have anywhere near the amount of attention the main event is generating, but it’s nonetheless a pivotal affair for both ranked fighters. Mousasi should look to keep this one standing and use his laser-precise jab to pick Leites apart on the feet, but if the Brazilian learned anything from his split decision loss to Bisping, he’ll look to drag this fight to the ground and utilize his world champion-level BJJ skills. I feel like he’ll be able to at some point, and while it may not lead to a stoppage, I still feel Leites gets the win. I’m taking Leites by unanimous decision.

Rory Kernaghan:

Gegard Mousasi and Thales Leites is a great match for the grappling fans, but one I feel will play out on the feet. With the Brazilian looking to showcase his striking a lot more in his latest fights, I feel he’ll look to capitalize on the openings that Mousasi has shown in his recent outings ‘The Dreamcatcher’ has experienced mixed results since joining the UFC, but this could well motivate him to pull a performance out of the bag here. It’s a tough one but I’m going to pick Leites by decision.

Mike Henken:

This is an interesting clash between two dangerous fighters who are both coming off of losses. Mousasi hasn’t lived up to his hype in the UFC in my opinion, but I still feel as if he has a lot of a potential to do so. An experienced kickboxer, “The Dreamcatcher” has a wide array of striking attacks in his arsenal to go along with a slick and sneaky submission game. Leites, on the other hand, is a strong Brazilian Jiu-jitsu artist with serious power in his hands. I don’t see “The Dreamcatcher” getting submitted here, and if he can avoid the big shots standing, it’s his fight to lose. Expect Mousasi to pick apart Leites on the outside to earn a decision victory.

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Historic Failures: 10 Worst MMA Fights Of All-Time

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is dictated by skill, athleticism, experience, and the willingness to put it all on the line. Throughout the years, countless combat crusaders have forged greatness inside of the cage by channeling these specific attributes. In turn, they’ve created unforgettable magic. But as good as some of these contests

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The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is dictated by skill, athleticism, experience, and the willingness to put it all on the line.

Throughout the years, countless combat crusaders have forged greatness inside of the cage by channeling these specific attributes. In turn, they’ve created unforgettable magic.

But as good as some of these contests have been, there are those that produce polar opposite results. There are fights that seem to shrink the creativity of the sport itself, offering little to cheer and even less to be impressed with.

In many cases, both fighters are to blame. Whether due to cancelling fighting styles or hesitant trigger pulling, their matchups have failed miserably. As for the other group of terrible performances, those manifest from the actions (or lack thereof) of one, and only one, party involved.

Either way, these atrocious MMA contests should be swept under the rug until the end of time. Because no one is going to miss the worst of the worst.

Here are the 10 poorest fights in the history of the sport.

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Third Installment Of “Embedded” For UFC Fight Night 84

A new episode in the UFC Fight Night 84 Embedded series has been released.

In this installment, main event fighters Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping get a little too-close for comfort in the fighter hotel, while Thales Leites runs into Jose Aldo a…

UFC Fight Night 84

A new episode in the UFC Fight Night 84 Embedded series has been released.

In this installment, main event fighters Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping get a little too-close for comfort in the fighter hotel, while Thales Leites runs into Jose Aldo and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Fight Night 72 Results: Bisping Outpoints Leites, Dunham Tops Pearson, Duffy Continues to Wow + More

(via UFC on FOX)

Following a brutal, nearly unbearable two day stretch without a UFC event to lift us above the suffocating mediocrity of our everyday lives, the world’s premiere MMA organization returned on Saturday morning for Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites. And what an event it was, jam-packed with ferocious knockouts on the undercard and the opposite of that on the main card. Booyah, Glasgow!

In the main event of the evening, Michael Bisping did his Michael Bisping thing, stickin-n-movin his way to a split decision win over a game Thales Leites. While the fight wasn’t exactly the most memorable thing (especially given every card that’s led up to it in these past couple weeks), it did showcase the continuously evolving arsenal of Leites even in defeat, especially in the striking department. First Werdum, now Leites, it’s like Brazil is finally starting to catch up to the sport they invented. (commence Internet outrage….now!!)

In related news you never would have seen coming, bisping used the win to call out “cheating, scumbag motherf*ckers” Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, then a title shot. Which, aside from the lulz I got from that last part, LOL at the first part!

Elsewhere, the Fight Night 72 card featured a one-sided grappling clinic between journeyman lightweights and a women’s strawweight battle for the ages, so check out all the highlights and results from Saturday’s card after the jump.

The post Fight Night 72 Results: Bisping Outpoints Leites, Dunham Tops Pearson, Duffy Continues to Wow + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via UFC on FOX)

Following a brutal, nearly unbearable two day stretch without a UFC event to lift us above the suffocating mediocrity of our everyday lives, the world’s premiere MMA organization returned on Saturday morning for Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites. And what an event it was, jam-packed with ferocious knockouts on the undercard and the opposite of that on the main card. Booyah, Glasgow!

In the main event of the evening, Michael Bisping did his Michael Bisping thing, stickin-n-movin his way to a split decision win over a game Thales Leites. While the fight wasn’t exactly the most memorable thing (especially given every card that’s led up to it in these past couple weeks), it did showcase the continuously evolving arsenal of Leites even in defeat, especially in the striking department. First Werdum, now Leites, it’s like Brazil is finally starting to catch up to the sport they invented. (commence Internet outrage….now!!)

In related news you never would have seen coming, bisping used the win to call out “cheating, scumbag motherf*ckers” Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, then a title shot. Which, aside from the lulz I got from that last part, LOL at the first part!

Elsewhere, the Fight Night 72 card featured a one-sided grappling clinic between journeyman lightweights and a women’s strawweight battle for the ages, so check out all the highlights and results from Saturday’s card after the jump.

You know that thing I said earlier about Brazilians learning to strike? Well, the British should really take a page out of their book and apply it to wrestling. (Bring it on, 3 people who still comment here!!) 

Evan Dunham thoroughly outgrappled Ross Pearson en route to a unanimous decision victory, nearly finishing things in the first with this INSANE armbar that Pearson somehow gritted through. The Brit’s enthusiasm for matwork was almost non-present from then on, which he later blamed on his opponent’s love of lay-n-pray. To which I always say, “If a guy can win a fight simply by laying on you, aren’t *you* mostly to blame?” (Internet outrage meter: Critical.)

Anyways, the loss crushed any hope Pearson might’ve had of winning back-to-back fights for the first time since 2013, while Dunham did exactly that for the first time since 2012.

JoJo, we need to have a talk. You need to stop scaring me so bad in the early going of your fights, mmmmkay? You are my Khaleesi, my moon and stars, and I’m 90% sure that your laugh could cure cancer, so please, stopping letting these last-minute replacement opponents pummel the piss out of you for the first minute of the fight. Also, will you please return my calls? I don’t care what the judge says, we belong together.

All kidding aside, it seemed as if Joanne Calderwood needed to get punched in the face a few times by the unheard of Cortney Casey on Saturday before she could came to the Jason Bourne-esque revelation that she was a trained killing machine. Maybe it was a confidence thing, but JoJo weathered the early onslaught and took over, blistering Casey with nasty knees, body kicks, and the occassional butthole punch or two en route to a unanimous decision victory.

A credit is due to Casey for the heart she displayed while being absolutely savaged in the latter rounds, and we can’t wait to see what she looks like with a full training camp under her belt. My guess: Cortney Casey w/full camp > Mendes full camp > TRtor > Motivated Penn.

Joseph Duffy is for real, ladies and germs. Yes, the man known best as The Last Guy to Beat Conor McGregor™ once again impressed against Ivan Jorge, who I’m just going to assume was a competitor on one of the Brazilian TUFs. (I’ll admit, I’m just trying to piss people off at this point.)

After displaying his smooth, smooth boxing skills early, Duffy snatched up one of the smoothest triangle chokes you will ever see during a scramble midway through the first round. Though it at first seemed like Jorge would grit his way out of it, the Duffman We Deserve™ would simply not be denied. Duffy now sits at 2-0 in the UFC’s lightweight division and will mostly certainly be receiving a step up in competition soon.

The full results from Fight Night 72 are below.

Main card (FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET)
Michael Bisping def. Thales Leites via split decision (47-48, 49-46, 48-47)
Evan Dunham def. Ross Pearson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joseph Duffy def. Ivan Jorge via submission (triangle choke) 3:05 of round 1
Joanne Calderwood def. Cortney Casey-Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Leon Edwards def. Pawel Pawlak via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Steven Ray def. Leonardo Mafra via TKO (punches) at 2:30 of round 1

Undercard (FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET)
Patrick Holohan def. Vaughan Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ilir Latifi def. Hans Stringer via KO (punch) at :56 of round 1
Mickael Lebout def. Teemu Packalen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Robert Whiteford def. Paul Redmond via TKO (punches) at 3:04 of round 1

Undercard (UFC Fight Pass at 10 a.m. ET)
Jimmie Rivera def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (punches) at 1:29 of round 1
Daniel Omielanczuk def. Chris De La Rocha via TKO (punches) at :48 of round 1

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Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites: What We Learned from UFC Fight Night 72 Tilt

In the main event of the UFC’s first foray into Scotland, Michael Bisping took on Thales Leites. While the Chris Lebens, Chael Sonnens and Mark Munozes have moved on to greener pastures, Bisping and Leites continue to post wins in today’s middlewe…

In the main event of the UFC’s first foray into Scotland, Michael Bisping took on Thales Leites. While the Chris Lebens, Chael Sonnens and Mark Munozes have moved on to greener pastures, Bisping and Leites continue to post wins in today’s middleweight division. Both men entered the cage knowing that only one of them would leave with their top-10 relevance intact, making this a deceptively high-stakes affair for an overseas Fight Night.

The first two rounds were an utter tossup. Bisping sidled the cage, looking to counterpunch as Leites plodded forward throwing fastballs. Both rounds could have gone either way, but Leites asserted himself in Round 3, landing several brutal combinations and visibly wobbled Bisping at one point.

By the fourth round, however, the Count had finally found his timing. While Leites would land his share of punches, Bisping finally began making proper use of his jab, and found cozy homes for his right hand. That proved to be the difference, as Bisping came out on the better end of a hotly contested split decision to the tune of 49-46, 47-48 and 48-47.

So what did we learn from this fight?

First and foremost, we learned that Leites and Bisping are very evenly matched, and that’s a good thing for the Brazilian.

Leites‘ career resurgence has been quite impressive. He was unceremoniously cut by the UFC in 2009, but worked his way up the regional scene before returning to the promotion in 2013. Following his second “debut,” he tapped into an undiscovered well of power striking and that, alongside his established high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, turned him into one of the division’s better finishers. Still, his strength of competition was awfully low, with his toughest foe being either Francis Carmont or Tim Boetsch.

That created a lot of room for doubt, and had some wondering if he was truly better than he was back when he faced Anderson Silva. Those doubts have now been silenced. In this fight against Bisping, he proved that his return to relevance hasn’t been a fluke, and that he has the skills to compete with anybody at 185-pounds.

And what of Bisping? The British striker demonstrated that he is, quite simply, the same fighter he always has been.

Will he post a spectacular knockout in Round 1? Will he lock up a crafty submission? Will he ever utterly dominate a game opponent? Probably not. What he will do, however, is find his range, and make the most out of the openings opponents give him. 

Will he win every time? Obviously not, looking at his seven career UFC losses. Will it be especially exciting? Again, probably not, since he is moreso known for his work outside the cage.

That said, he is a smart fighter and somebody that can find a way to beat most opponents.

It will be interesting to see where Bisping goes from here. The Count has quietly posted back-to-back wins over top-10 fighters and, depending on how things shake out in the middleweight top-five, could be poised for a Cinderella run towards title contention. Fights against Gegard Mousasi or a rematch against Vitor Belfort would be incredibly compelling.

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