Thiago Santos is a Brazilian

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter currently competing in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. A professional competitor since 2007, Santos has formerly fought for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

and was a finalist in their Season Five Heavyweight Tournament.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Santos made his professional MMA debut in October 2007. He fought in a one night tournament against Shamil Abdurahimov at IAFC - Mayor's Cup 2009 and won via unanimous decision. He then went on to fight

Alexey Oleynik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sambo (martial art)#Styles, combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their ...

the same exact day and suffered the first loss of his career. He then rebounded from that loss by knocking out Geronimo dos Santos in the first round at Amazon Fight 3. After that fight he faced Ubiratan Marinho Lima and won via DQ at Amazon Fight 4.

Bellator

In April 2011,

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

announced that they have signed Santos and he will make his promotional debut on May 21, 2011, at

Bellator 45 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feather ...

against

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

. If Santos is victorious then he will earn a spot in the Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. Santos suffered an undisclosed injury, forcing him out of his Bellator debut. Santos was originally scheduled to face Blagoi Ivanov in the opening round of the Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tournament at

Bellator 52 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feather ...

. Santos, however, was unable to travel from Brazil for the event and was replaced by Zak Jensen. Santos faced

Josh Burns Josh Burns (born May 15, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist and current bare-knuckle boxer. Since 2017, Burns has competed in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Bellator MMA Burns faced TNA wr ...

Bellator 53 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feather ...

in a bout to determine the Heavyweight Tournament reserve fighter. He won the fight via submission in the first round. He was to face Blagoi Ivanov in the semifinal of the tourney on October 29, 2011, at

Bellator 56 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feather ...

, after Mike Hayes was forced out of the tournament due to injury. Ivanov subsequently had to pull out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Neil Grove. Santos won via submission in the first round. Santos faced Eric Prindle in the finals held at Bellator 59. The bout was ruled a No Contest after Santos kicked Prindle in the groin at 1:24 of the first round and Prindle was unable to continue. The two were scheduled to rematch at

Bellator 61 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

on March 16, 2012. However, on March 15, Bellator announced the fight had been pushed back a week to

Bellator 62 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

due to Prindle having "flu-like symptoms." A week later at the Bellator 62 weigh-ins, Santos weighed in 12 pounds overweight for the rescheduled rematch and the bout was called off. As a result of Santos' inability to make weight, Prindle was announced as the Season Five Heavyweight Tournament Winner. Santos competed Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament, and faced Eric Prindle in their long awaited rematch in the quarter finals at Bellator 75 on October 5. Santos became the recipient of a groin kick from Eric Prindle, and was unable to continue, winning by disqualification. In the semi-finals, Santos faced Rich Hale at Bellator 79 on November 2, 2012. Despite rocking Hale early, Santos would lose via TKO at 3:31 in the first round. After nearly a year away from MMA, Santos returned to face promotional newcomer

Javy Ayala Javier "Javy" Ayala (born August 22, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for Tachi Palace Fights. Background Born and raise ...

Bellator 102 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight cha ...

. Santos lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

''The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3''

Santos was selected for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 along with 32 fighters for the preliminary fights to enter the house. He faced

Marcos Rogério de Lima Marcos Rogério de Lima (born May 25, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he formerly competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and was a co ...

in the preliminaries and despite the size advantage, he lost the fight via submission (guillotine choke) in the first round.

Independent promotions

Santos faced Geronimo dos Santos in a rematch at Roraima Show Fight 13 on November 9, 2014. Santos lost the fight via TKO in the first round, suffering his third consecutive loss by knockout or TKO. Santos faced Vinicius Lima at Face to Face 9 on December 20, 2014. He lost the fight via TKO due to punches in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

** Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tournament Runner-Up

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 12–5 (1) , Wanderson Souza , TKO (punches) , XForce MMA 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 (1) , Vinicius Lima , KO (punches) , Face to Face 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 (1) , Geronimo dos Santos , TKO (punches) , Roraima Show Fight 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Boa Vista, Roraima Boa Vista (, literally ''Good View''; figuratively "Fairview") is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Situated on the western bank of the Branco River, the city lies from Brazil's border with Venezuela. It is the only Brazilian stat ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 (1) ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 (1) , Rich Hale , TKO (punches) , Bellator 79 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Rama, Ontario Rama is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations community on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. It is the home of Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the ho ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 (1) , Eric Prindle , DQ (groin kick) , Bellator 75 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:54 ,

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 10–1 (1) , Eric Prindle , No Contest (groin kick) , Bellator 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Neil Grove , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Ubiratan Marinho Lima , DQ (illegal punches to the back) , AF: Amazon Fight 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Geronimo dos Santos , KO (punches) , AF: Amazon Fight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:35 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan="2", Union of Veterans of Sport: Mayor's Cup 2009 , rowspan="2", , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 , rowspan="2",

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Shamil Abdurakhimov , Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Bruno Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Delfim Brazuka Nocaute , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Antonio Conceição , Decision (unanimous) , WOCS: Watch Out Combat Show 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Marcelo Mendes , Submission (neck crank) , rowspan="3", RH: Rio Heroes 10 , rowspan="3", , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 , rowspan="3", Osasco, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Leonardo Guarabya , KO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Fabio Santos , TKO (submission to punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Thiago Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) 1986 births