Thiago Santos de Lima, also known as Thiago Santos, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight category.
He came to prominence as a middleweight fighter in the UFC. He earned Fight of the Night for the first fight in February 2018 when he defeated Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night. He spent eight years learning capoeira before commencing his MMA training, and he also served in the Brazilian army’s parachute regiment.
Santos reached the quarterfinals of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2 in 2013 and won Performance of the Night for the second time at UFC Fight Night in February 2017. Furthermore, as of September 2021, Thiago is ranked #5 in the UFC Light Heavyweight division. On October 2, 2021, he fought Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night 193 and won by unanimous decision.
Thiago Santos’ Bio
On January 7, 1984, Thiago Santos took his first steps into the world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was born in a Christian religious household with the name Thiago Santos de Lima. He is of Brazilian descent and belongs to the Brazilian-white ethnic group. Thiago is 37 years old, and he just celebrated his birthday in 2021. As a result, his race is white, and he is born under the sign of Capricorn. Santos has been tight-lipped about his parents.
Thiago Santos’ Career
Thiago Santos began his professional MMA career in October 2010 after eight years of capoeira training and serving in the Brazilian army as a paratrooper. He had an 8-1 win-loss record before to entering The Ultimate Fighter. In March 2003, he was named as a member of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. To get into the TUF house, he overcame Gil Freitas by a majority vote. He lost a unanimous decision against eventual season champion Leonardo Santos in the quarterfinals. The UFC then signed him to a contract, and he made his debut on August 3, 2013, at UFC 163, against Cezar Ferreira, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. In the first round, he was submitted and lost the bout.
On March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2, he fought Ronny Markes and won by TKO in the first round. At UFC 175 he met Uriah Hall, however he was defeated by a unanimous decision. On the 30th of January 2015, he fought Andy Enz at UFC 183. He won the bout in the first round via TKO. At UFC 183 on June 27, 2015, he fought Andy Enz and won by TKO in the first round. He met promotional newbie Steve Bosse in June of the following year, winning by knockout in the first round and earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
On December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80, he defeated Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, and 29-27). He fought Nate Marquardt at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016, and won by knockout in the first round. On February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105, he defeated Jack Marshman by TKO in the second round with a combination of a spinning heel kick and punches, earning him a “Performance of the Night” bonus award. Later, he was connected to a meeting with promotional newcomer Micha Materla at UFC Fight Night 118 on October 21, 2017, however he was pulled off the event instead fought Jack Hermansson a week later at UFC Fight Night 119. In the first round, he won via technical knockout.
On February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125, he fought Anthony Smith and won via technical knockout in round two. He received the Fight of the Night bonus for this victory. He fought David Branch at UFC Fight Night 128 on April 21, 2018, but was knocked out in the first round.
On August 4th, 2018, at UFC 227, he fought promotional rookie Kevin Holland. He was declared the winner by a unanimous judgment (29-27, 29-27, and 29-26). Thiago was also set to fight Jimi Manuwa in a light heavyweight event at UFC Fight Night 137 on September 22, 2018, replacing the injured Glover Teixeira.
Due to a strained hamstring, Manuwa was forced to withdraw from the fight on September 16, 2018, and was replaced by Eryk Anders. When Anders failed to make it to his corner at the end of round three, Santos won by TKO by referee stoppage. He won the “Fight of the Night” award for this victory. He fought Jimi Manuwa on December 8, 2018, and won by KO in the early second round, earning him the “Performance of the Night” award and tying him for the most bouts in a calendar year with 5.
On February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 145, he defeated Jan Bachowicz via TKO in the third round. He was awarded “Performance of the Night” for this victory. In the main event of UFC 239 on July 6, 2019, Thiago took on Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He was defeated by a split decision in a back-and-forth bout. Despite the loss, he became the first fighter in MMA history to defeat Jones on a judge’s scorecard. He was supposed to fight Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 177 on September 12th, 2020. The duo was rescheduled to meet on 4th October 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana, when Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19 a week previous to the fight. The match was then rescheduled on September 15th when Santos tested positive for the virus. Santos vs. Teixeira took place on November 7th, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. Despite coming close to finishing Teixeira on many times. Santos was defeated in round three via a rear-naked choke submission.
On March 6, 2021, he will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259. He was defeated by a unanimous decision. Santos recently defeated Johnny Walker in a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 193 on October 2, 2021.
Achievements and Awards
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a mixed martial, Jack Marshman, Steve Bosse, Jimi Manuwa, and Jan Bachowicz competed for Performance of the Night four times. (Twice) Fight of the Night vs. Anthony Smith and Eryk Anders, It’s a tie for the most UFC fights in a calendar year (5). With Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall, he holds the record for most knockout wins in the UFC Middleweight class (eight). Steve Bosse vs. 2015 Best Knockout of the Half-Year, Jimi Manuwa vs. 2018 Round of the Year (Round 1) vs. Jimi Manuwa, December 2018 Fight of the Month
Thiago Santos’s Relationship
Thiago Santos is a husband and father. Yana Kunitskaya, a fellow UFC competitor, is his girlfriend. In December 2020, the couple got engaged, and in August 2021, Kunitskaya revealed that she and her partner were expecting their first child. They are about to tie the knot. When it comes to Thiago’s sexual orientation, he is heterosexual. Santos is also said to have been married before, since he has a son from a prior relationship. He’s also shared a picture of his kid on Instagram, but he’s never mentioned his wife.
Thiago Santos’s Net Worth
As of 2022, Thiago Santos has a net worth of $5 million. He is projected to make $100,000 as a basic wage, with an additional $21,000 in sponsorship earnings. His income and net wealth are said to have increased dramatically in recent years. His total UFC earnings are claimed to be $1,234,600, earned over the course of 18 fights. On December 8, 2018, he was slated to face Jimi Manuwa, who won $120,000 at UFC 214. Venum, a UFC apparel and equipment manufacturer, has an endorsement deal with Santos. He also continues to promote the items on Instagram. With the agreement, Santos may make a lot of money. In addition, his MMA profession is his primary source of income.
Thiago Santos’ Body Measurement
Thiago Santos is 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall and weighs roughly 205 pounds (93 kg; 14.6 st). He has dark brown eyes and short black hair that he finds attractive. He has a number of tattoos on his body, which has drawn a lot of attention to him. Thiago has an athletic body type.
Quick Facts
Santos spent eight years learning capoeira before commencing his MMA training. He was also a paratrooper in the Brazilian army. In 2013, he reached the quarterfinals of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. In February 2017, he won the Performance of the Night award for the second time at UFC Fight Night. He was born and reared in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. In May 2016, he knocked out Nate Marquardt at UFC 198. He earned Fight of the Night for the first fight in February 2018 when he defeated Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night.