Paulo Thiago: The “Killer” from Brasilia

There’s no longer an excuse to confuse rising Brazilian star Paulo Thiago with fellow Brazilian standouts Thiago Silva and Thiago Alves following his Submission of the Night victory over Mike Swick at UFC 109. Poised for failure entering UFC 95 with only a one-fight contract and a bout against top 5 welterweight Josh Koscheck, Thiago shocked the MMA world with a well-timed, knockout inducing, uppercut to the chin of Josh Koscheck. It was immediately declared a fluke. Thiago was then known only as a submission specialist, finishing 7 of his first 10 opponents via submission, and there was no way he had the hands to knockout Koscheck, or so many thought. Now with four fights under his Jiu-jitsu and Judo black belt in the UFC, Thiago is proving that, to go along with his terrific grappling, his hands are some of the most powerful in the welterweight division.

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A member of the Brazilian elite special forces, BOPE, Thiago has gone from protecting his homeland from criminals and killers, to becoming a “killer” himself, “The AKA Killer” that is. With two victories over AKA’s welterweight trio (Koscheck and Swick), Thiago is quickly moving into title contention, thanks in part to his special forces experience. Being in the BOPE gives Thiago an edge amongst the competition, "To experience situations of great danger, I think this hardens a man's spirit," says Thiago, and a hardened spirit is what a fighter needs if he wishes to one day become champion of the Octagon. His experience in urban warfare allows him to retain poise in adverse situations and has taught Thiago a lesson many fighters never learn, and only the best do, fighting without emotion. Hate and anger do not enter the mind of Paulo Thiago in a fight, when he steps foot into the Octagon, a cold, calculated, rational thinking mixed martial artist emerges.

At 29-years-old, Thiago has shown vast improvement in each subsequent fight, not by luck, but by hard work. His camp learned from the Koscheck fight, and even though he won, they determined if Paulo really wanted to be the champion of the welterweight division one day, he would have to become faster and stronger, and faster and stronger he has become. Paulo Thiago believes that in each fight, a new Paulo Thiago emerges who would defeat the previous one, and training with Team Black House (home to Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and the Nogueira brothers) makes that belief seem more fact than fiction.

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With a 13-1 record, 3-1 in the UFC, holding two notable wins over top ten welterweights, it is no surprise that Dana White called Thiago “a force to be reckoned with,” and said that there was no doubt about it, Thiago is “at the top of the 170-pound division.” It is hard for his boss not to take notice; Thiago has won all three awards given for a UFC event, Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night, and is the only man thus far to submit Mike Swick. With a solid chin, powerful hands, terrific ground game, and a mindset held only by the top fighters in the world, Paulo Thiago is on his way to challenging George St. Pierre for the crown of the welterweight division. He may not be ready for such a challenge now, but with the rate of improvement he has shown over his last four fights in the Octagon, four fights from now, Bruce Buffer could be announcing a new UFC Welterweight Champion of the world, Paulo “The AKA Killer” Thiago.

By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer