Name Thales Leites
Nickname N/A
Association Nova Uniao / Black House
Weight Class Middleweight (185 lbs.)
Height 6′ 1″ (185 cm)
Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Birth Date September 6, 1981
Fighting Out Of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Country Brazil
Thales Leites Pictures Official Website

”’Thales Leites Lourenço”’, or simply ”’Thales Leites”’, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who fights at Middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Leites made his debut with the organization on November 11, 2006, after a bout originally planned for October fell through due to visa-processing issues. After two back-to-back losses in the promotion, Leites was released from the UFC, and he was quickly signed to compete with the Canada-based promotion, MFC.

== Professional Record ==

Record 20 – 4 – 0 (Win â€Â“ Loss â€Â“ Draw)
Wins 2 (T)KOs
13 Submissions
5 Decisions
Losses 0 (T)KOs
1 Submissions
3 Decisions
Result Opponent Method Event Title Date Round Time Notes
Win Matt Horwich Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) AFC Amazon Forest Combat 2 3/31/2012 2 4:394
Win Jeremy Horn Decision (Split) Superior Challenge 7 Rise of Champions 4/30/2011 3 5:00 Won first-ever Superior Challenge Middleweight Championship
Win Tor Troeng Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Superior Challenge 6: Lion’s Den 10/29/2010 2 N/A
Loss Matt Horwich Submission (Rear Naked Choke) PWP: War on the Mainland 8/14/2010 4 0:44 For first-ever PWP Middleweight Championship
Win Jesse Taylor Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) MFC 25 Vindication 5/07/2010 1 2:27
Win [[Rico Washington Sr.]] Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) BCN: Bitetti Combat 6 2/25/2010 1 2:40
Win Dean Lister Decision (Unanimous) MFC 23 Unstoppable 12/04/2009 3 5:00
Loss Alessio Sakara Decision (Split) UFC 101 Declaration 8/08/2009 3 5:00 Replaced an injured Rousimar Palhares; Released from UFC
Loss Anderson Silva Decision (Unanimous) UFC 97 Redemption 4/18/2009 5 5:00 For UFC Middleweight Championship
Win Drew McFedries Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 90 Silva vs Cote 10/25/2008 1 1:18 Originally slated to fight Goran Reljic; Earned #1 Contender spot for UFC Middleweight title
Win Nate Marquardt Decision (Split) UFC 85 Bedlam 6/07/2008 3 5:00 Marquardt was docked 1 point in Round 2 for kneeing the head of a downed opponent, and another point in Round 3 for strikes to the back of the head.
Win Ryan Jensen Submission (Armbar) UFC 74 Respect 8/05/2007 1 3:47
Win Floyd Sword Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale 6/23/2007 1 3:50
Win Pete Sell Decision (Unanimous) UFC 69 Shootout 4/07/2007 3 5:00
Loss Martin Kampmann Decision (Unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale 11/11/2006 3 5:00 UFC debut; First loss of his MMA career
Win Jose Landi-Jons Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) JF 6: Jungle Fight 6 4/29/2006 1 2:40
Win Osami Shibuya Decision (Unanimous) MARS 2/04/2006 3 5:00
Win Jason Guida Submission (Armbar) UWC 1: Ultimate Warriors Combat 1 12/10/2005 1 1:38
Win Ronald Jhun TKO (Doctor Stoppage) ROTR: Qualifiers 9/17/2005 3 0:32
Win Gustavo Machado Submission SS 8: Storm Samurai 8 7/02/2005 3 N/A
Win Adam Roland Submission (Armbar) ROTR 7: Rumble on the Rock 7 5/07/2005 1 0:49
Win Lucio Linhares TKO (Corner Stoppage) VEF 1: Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 5/29/2004 1 N/A
Win Flavio Luiz Moura Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) VEF 1: Vitoria Extreme Fighting 1 5/29/2004 N/A N/A
Win Felipe Arinelli Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) Shooto Brazil: Welcome to Hell 11/23/2003 2 N/A

== Mixed Martial Arts Career ==
A relative newcomer to the sport, Leites made his mixed martial arts debut at Shooto Brazil in 2003, defeating Felipe Arinelli by arm triangle choke submission. Leites would win his next two fights in Vitória before making his debut in the United States in Hawaii’s Rumble on the Rock promotion in 2005, where he defeated Adam Roland in his fourth consecutive mixed martial arts victory.

After a successful outing in the U.S., Leites returned to Brazil to fight Gustavo Machado, who was coming off two wins in the Japanese Pancrase organization. Leites defeated the more experienced Machado by submission in the third round, and was invited back to Rumble on the Rock to fight Hawaiian Ronald Jhun in September. Despite fighting a hometown favorite, Leites notched his sixth victory, defeating Jhun by technical knockout in the later half of the fight.

Although Leites held an unblemished record, he didn’t gain much mainstream exposure until his bouts with Osami Shibuya in Japan’s MARS promotion, and Jose Landi-Jons in Brazil’s Jungle Fight promotion. In both fights, Leites was much less experienced than his opponents; about Landi-Jons, Leites admitted, “He was already famous when I was not even interested” in mixed martial arts. Despite the experience disparity, Leites defeated both opponents, scoring a unanimous decision over Shibuya, and submitting Landi-Jons with an arm triangle choke, increasing Leites’ professional record to 9 wins, 0 losses.

=== Transition to the UFC ===
In September, it was announced that Leites would make his UFC debut against veteran middleweight Nathan Marquardt at [[Ortiz vs Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter]]. However, due to issues with his travel documentation, Leites was not able to compete at the event as planned.

Leites made his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale, where he lost his first professional fight by unanimous decision to Danish kickboxer Martin Kampmann.

In his next fight, at UFC 69, he defeated The Ultimate Fighter 4 contestant Pete Sell. Leites next earned a submission victory over Floyd Sword at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale by arm triangle choke. He was then scheduled to fight Ryan Jensen at UFC 74. Leites accepted the fight after Travis Lutter, Jensen’s original opponent, was forced to withdraw from the event. Leites defeated Jensen by armbar submission in the first round, raising his UFC record to 3 wins, 1 loss.

Leites was scheduled to fight Nathan Marquardt at UFC 81, but withdrew from the bout after breaking his hand in training. Leites fought Marquardt at UFC 85, winning by a controversial split decision due to point deductions in the 2nd and 3rd rounds to Marquardt.

On the undercard of UFC 90 Silva vs Cote Leites was able to earn a rear naked choke submission victory over dangerous striker Drew McFedries. He was first slated to fight Goran Reljic, but Reljic was forced off the card due to injury. His win over McFedries would prove to be valuable as Leites was able to earn number one contendership to the UFC middleweight title against current champion Anderson Silva at UFC 97 Redemption in Montreal, Canada. Leites would go on to lose the fight, but be the first to take the champion to the score cards in a title defense. Leites lost via unanimous decision. It was a lackluster performance on both fighters parts, with neither fighter engaging for an extended period of time. The crowd boo’d on numerous occasions.

He returned to the octagon against Alessio Sakara at UFC 101 Declaration, stepping in for an injured Rousimar Palhares. He lost a close split decision. After two consecutive losses in the promotion, Leites was released by the UFC. He was quickly signed to the Canadian-based mixed martial arts promotion, MFC.

=== Post-UFC Career ===
After being dropped by the UFC, Leites was picked up by the MFC, where he signed a two-bout contract. He was first scheduled to debut with the promotion at MFC 23 Unstoppable against Bryan Baker, who at the time was on a four-fight win streak with major victories over the likes of Rory Singer and Matt Horwich, but he was later scheduled to face off against another UFC drop out, Dean Lister. The bout went to the judges decision, and Leites won himself a unanimous decision.

Leites then faced [[Rico Washington Sr.]] at a Bitetti event at the end of February 2010, where he defeated his opponent with an Arm Triangle Choke in the first round.

He returned to the MFC at MFC 25: Vindication, where he faced off against The Ultimate Fighter alumni Jesse Taylor in the events main event. Taylor used his takedown ability to get the fight to the mat, but that was exactly where Leites wanted it, as the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace caught Taylor in a Arm Triangle Choke early in the first round. The win was his third consecutive win since being released by the UFC.

Powerhouse World Promotions put on an event on August 14, 2010, which featured three title fights, one of which was a bout between Leties and another UFC cast-off, Matt Horwich. The fight was for the promotion’s first-ever Middleweight title. Leites looked as if he was in control of the fight for the first three round, though Horwich did threaten at times. In the fourth round Leites appeared to be fading slightly, and Horwich took advantage. Horwich moved to the back, drug the fight to the floor in rapid fashion and sunk in a Rear Naked Choke. Leites was forced to tap just 24 seconds into the round, and Horwich was crowned the PWP Middleweight Champion.

== Ranks and Titles ==
=== Jiu-Jitsu ===
* Champion of the Copa do
* Brasil absolute 2003
* Copa do Mundo 2002
* Third place, world championships 2001

=== Mixed Martial Arts ===
* Rumble on the Rock Champion

=== Ranking ===
* BJJ Black belt under Welton Ribeiro.