Thiago Santos Fighter

Thiago Santos de Lima is a Brazilian MMA fighter, also known as Marreta or The Sledgehammer,

currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of UFC. A black belt in both Muay Thai and

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as a Green rope in Capoeira, he has also been a middleweight and

welterweight previously.

Early Life and Career

Before coming to MMA, Thiago Santos was already an expert in capoeira and was also a member of

the Brazilian army paratrooper squad. In 2010, he made his MMA debut and amassed an impressive

record of 8 wins and only 1 loss.

In 2013, Thiago Santos was announced to be a part of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. He

went till the quarterfinals after winning against Pedro Irie in the elimination round. In the quarters,

he lost against the eventual winner Leonardo Santos via unanimous decision.

Career at UFC

Despite not coming out as a winner, he was signed by UFC after the tournament. However, he lost

on his debut match against the inaugural winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Cezar Ferreira via

submission. But he went on to claim some important wins against the likes Andy Enz, Elias

Theodorou, Nate Marquardt, Steve Bosse and Jack Marshman. Winning the last two bouts won him

Performance of the Night bonus. He also defeated Anthony Smith and Eryk Anders that won him

Fight of the Night bonus.

Current Status

Thiago Santos is expected to face-off against Jan Blachowicz on February 23, 2013 at UFC Fight Night

145. His current MMA record stands at 20-6.