Thiago Silva (fighter)

Thiago Silva
Born	(1982-11-12) November 12, 1982 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)
Division	Light Heavyweight
Reach	75 in (190cm)
Style	Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing
Fighting out of	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Team	American Top Team
Rank	black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Mixed martial arts record
Total	17
Wins	15
By knockout	11
By submission	2
By decision	2
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By decision	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Thiago Anderson Ramos da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [tʃiˈaɡu ˈsiwvɐ]; born November 12, 1982 in São Carlos) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, he got his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Jorge Patino, Thiago currently competes in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Once a member of the renowned Chute Boxe Academy, Silva now trains with established fighting stable American Top Team. Silva holds notable victories over James Irvin, Houston Alexander, Keith Jardine, Brandon Vera.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Prior to signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Silva fought almost solely in his native country of Brazil. During his first 9 professional bouts, he attained a perfect 9–0 record, winning 8 of these bouts by KO or TKO and won the Fury FC 2 Grand Prix in 2006.

UFC career

Silva made his UFC debut against James Irvin at UFC 71. During the first round, Irvin injured his knee after a takedown from Silva and was unable to continue the fight. Silva was awarded the win by TKO. Silva's next fight was against UFC newcomer Tomasz Drwal at UFC 75. Silva won the fight by TKO due to strikes in the second round.

Following his first two wins, Silva made his televised debut as part of the main card of UFC 78 against Houston Alexander. During the bout, he quickly exposed Alexander's ground game, which had been untested in Alexander's first two knockout victories. After reversing position and securing the mount, Silva rained down punches until his opponent was knocked out in the opening round.

Silva was next slated to face future UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 84, but Evans was forced to pull out after being asked to fill in for a fight against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. Instead, Silva squared off against fellow countryman Antonio Mendes. After being surprised by a head kick moments into the bout, Silva was able to take down his opponent and secure mount position. From the dominant position, Silva pounded away with punches and elbows until Mendes tapped out in the opening round.

Originally scheduled to face future light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 89, Silva was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injured back suffered while training. The fight was later rescheduled and took place at UFC 94. Machida won via KO at the end of the opening round, ending Silva's undefeated streak.

Silva was slated to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, but Dana White instead chose to match Griffin against Anderson Silva. He instead fought Keith Jardine at UFC 102. Silva dropped Jardine with a short left hook then followed up with four punches on the ground, rendering Jardine unconscious, stopping the fight at 1:35 seconds of the first round at UFC 102.

He next fought Keith Jardine's friend and training partner Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 108, and lost in a unanimous decision. Evans was able to keep octagon control through aggressive wrestling and takedowns throughout the majority of the fight. Though Silva had great resiliency in quickly getting back to his feet, he showed visible amounts of frustration. After being taken down numerous times through the fight, Silva attempted to entice Evans into a stand-up brawl with taunts. Later in the round, Silva would connect with two hooks that would drop Evans momentarily. Instead of going in to finish off the dazed Evans, Thiago continued to taunt Rashad. This enabled Evans to recover and clinch. The judges would go on to score the bout 29-28 in favour of Evans, resulting in Silva's second professional MMA loss. It was confirmed, after the bout with Evans, that Silva had three herniated discs prior to the fight.

Silva was scheduled to face Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, but was forced off the card with a back injury and replaced by UFC newcomer Todd Brown.

Silva fought Brandon Vera on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125. He won by unanimous decision after dominating Brandon Vera on the ground using ground and pound and Palm Strikes which resulted in Vera's nose being very badly broken.

Silva was expected to face the former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130, although there were rumors that the fight had been canceled due to injury or failed drug tests from his UFC 125 bout. In a statement with Brazilian MMA site Tatame, Thiago declined that he was injured; "Injured? Me? I’m very healthy. That’s not true and looks like the NSAC did two tests, one was positive and the other negative. My blood is clean, I'm calm, took nothing."

Following this statement, Keith Kizer, the commissioner of the NSAC, confirmed that Thiago Silva’s samples are still undergoing tests; "That’s not accurate. We have gotten only the first sample back. It could be weeks before we find out the results for the second test.". The UFC didn't want to take any chances in waiting for the second test for Silva, so they replaced Silva with Matt Hamill.

Personal life

Silva ran away from home at age 13 due to his abusive father, never to see his mother or younger brother again. From age 13 onwards, he lived on his own in the favelas or slums of Sao Paulo. At age 18, he began to train in mixed martial arts and due to his poverty often had to choose between eating and training.

Silva currently resides in Coconut Creek, Florida with his wife Thaysa.

Silva's body is decorated with multiple tattoos that represent deep meaning in his life. One of his tattos means never give up. "This one says I never give up. That's how I carry my soul. That's how I am. I will never give up in anything I do." Another one means to thank Jesus. "The other one says to thank God, thank Jesus for who I am today and for getting me here after everything I have been through."

He lists former PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva as his hero on his UFC profile.

Luiz Cane, once a fierce rival, is now a training partner and good friend since he joined Thiago's American Top Team camp.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

17 matches	15 wins	2 losses
By knockout	11	1
By submission	2	0
By decision	2	1
No contests	0

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	14-3	Brandon Vera	Decision (DQ: Failed Drug Test)	UFC 125: Resolution	January 1, 2011	3	5:00	Las Vegas, United States
Loss	14-2	Rashad Evans	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva	January 2, 2010	3	5:00	Las Vegas, United States
Win	14–1	Keith Jardine	TKO (punches)	UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira	August 29, 2009	1	1:35	Portland, United States
Loss	13–1	Lyoto Machida	KO (punches)	UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2	January 31, 2009	1	4:59	Las Vegas, United States
Win	13–0	Antonio Mendes	Submission (punches)	UFC 84: Ill Will	May 24, 2008	1	2:24	Las Vegas, United States
Win	12–0	Houston Alexander	TKO (punches)	UFC 78: Validation	November 17, 2007	1	3:25	Newark, United States
Win	11–0	Tomasz Drwal	TKO (punches)	UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion	September 8, 2007	2	4:23	London, England
Win	10–0	James Irvin	TKO (knee injury)	UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson	May 26, 2007	1	1:06	Las Vegas, United States	UFC debut
Win	9–0	Tatsuya Mizuno	KO (soccer kick)	Pancrase – Rising 2	February 28, 2007	1	4:29	Tokyo, Japan
Win	8–0	Vitor Vianna	TKO (arm injury)	Fury FC 2 - Final Combat	November 30, 2006	1	1:50	São Paulo, Brazil	Won the Fury FC 2 GP
Win	7–0	Claudio Godoi	TKO (punches)	Fury FC 2 - Final Combat	November 30, 2006	1	2:06	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	6–0	Dino Pezao	TKO (punches)	SF 5 – Show Fight 5	November 9, 2006	1	4:34	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	5–0	Dave Dalgliesh	Submission (heel hook)	Fury FC 1 – Fury Fighting Championship 1	September 27, 2006	1	1:05	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	4–0	Claudio Godoi	Decision (unanimous)	SF 4 – Show Fight 4	April 6, 2006	3	5:00	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	3–0	Rodrigo Gripp de Sousa	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Shooto – Brazil 9	December 3, 2005	2	1:14	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	2–0	Flavio Polones	KO	ACC 2 – Arena Combat Cup 2	November 5, 2005	1	N/A	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	1–0	Rubens Xavier	TKO (punches and soccer kicks)	PFC 1 – Predador FC 1	September 10, 2005	2	4:17	São Paulo, Brazil

External links

• Professional MMA record for Thiago Silva from Sherdog
• Thiago Silva's UFC profile