Quick Facts

A Brazilian mixed martial artist by the name of Thiago Santos de Lima is currently taking part in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight category. He became well-known for competing in the middleweight division of the UFC. In February 2018 on UFC Fight Night, he defeated Anthony Smith and became the inaugural winner of Fight of the Night.

Before starting his MMA training, he first spent eight years honing his capoeira skills while also serving in the Brazilian army’s parachute regiment. Santos placed fourth in The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2 in 2013, and at UFC Fight Night in February 2017, he was awarded Performance of the Night for a second time. In addition, as of September 2021, Thiago is ranked as the fifth-best light heavyweight in the UFC. On October 2, 2021, he faced Johnny Walker at UFC Fight Night 193, and he triumphed by unanimous decision.

How much is the Net worth of Thiago Santos?

Thiago Santos ‘s net worth is $5 million. His base salary is anticipated to be $100,000, and he could make an additional $21,000 from sponsorship. His income and personal worth are reportedly rising dramatically in recent years. He is now signed to the UFC, where his recorded earnings through 18 fights total $1,234,600.

On December 8, 2018, he was supposed to face Jimi Manuwa, who won around $120,000 at UFC 214. Venum, a company that makes UFC gear and apparel, has an endorsement agreement with Santos. Additionally, he continues to share the products on Instagram. With the contract, Santos might be making a fine living. Additionally, his MMA career is his main source of income.

Thiago Santos bounces back with a unanimous decision over Johnny Walker

An explosive light heavyweight, Thiago Santos. Johnny Walker is also. On Saturday night, none of them shown that. Situations were not in their favor for any of them. Santos entered the bout with 15 knockouts in 21 career victories. He won the main event at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas by unanimous decision. But the 37-year-old Brazilian had not recorded one of those victories since 2019, and after three straight losses, he was in dire need of a win, however unlikely it might be.

Therefore, he sparred carefully. Even if there wasn’t a spectacular knockdown at the end, Santos and Walker both contributed something to build on. But more construction needs to be done. He seems erratic, don’t you think? In response to his performance in the fight, Santos commented. “I cut my cheek two weeks ago when my boyfriend threw an elbow. I put in a lot of work in the gym. He’s enormous, but he moves quickly and is threatening, making it difficult to be in close proximity.”

Early Years: Where was Thiago Santos born?

On January 7, 1984, Thiago Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was born in a Christian religious family with the name Thiago Santos de Lima. He is of Brazilian ethnicity and has Brazilian nationality. Thiago recently celebrated turning 37 years old in 2021. His star sign is Capricorn and he is white in color. Santos has kept his parents’ identities a secret.

What is the Professional Career of Thiago Santos?

Thiago Santos began his capoeira training eight years ago and served as a paratrooper in the Brazilian army before making his professional mixed martial arts debut in October 2010. He had an 8-1 record prior to joining The Ultimate Fighter, with just 1 loss. He joined The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2’s cast, it was revealed in March 2003. In order to enter the TUF house, he decisively fought Gil Freitas. He lost to eventual season champion Leonardo Santos in the quarterfinals by unanimous decision. He was then given a contract by the UFC, and on August 3, 2013, he competed in UFC 163 against Cezar Ferreira, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. In the opening round, he was submitted and lost the bout.

On March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2, he faced Ronny Markes, and he won by first-round TKO. At UFC 175, he fought Uriah Hall, but he was defeated by unanimous decision. At UFC 183 on January 30, 2015, he faced Andy Enz. In the first round, he obtained a TKO victory. He fought Andy Enz at UFC 183 on June 27, 2015, and won by first-round TKO. He met promotional rookie Steve Bosse in June of the following year and defeated him by knockout in the first round to win the bout and receive 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).

More on Career

He fought Nate Marquardt on May 14, 2016, at UFC 198, and won by first-round knockout. On February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105, he defeated Jack Marshman by TKO in the second round using a combination of punches and a spinning heel kick. He also received the “Performance of the Night” bonus. Eventually, he was briefly mentioned in connection with a fight against promotional newcomer Micha Materla at UFC Fight Night 118 on October 21, 2017, however he was later dropped from the card and fought Jack Hermansson a week later at UFC Fight Night 119. In round one, he used a technical knockout to win the match.

On February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125, he faced Anthony Smith. In round 2, he defeated Smith by technical knockout. 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 defeated by knockout in the opening round. On August 4, 2018, he competed against promotional rookie Kevin Holland at UFC 227. He prevailed via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, and 29-26). Additionally, Thiago was supposed to replace the injured Glover Teixeira in a light heavyweight matchup against Jimi Manuwa on September 22 at UFC Fight Night 137. Due to a strained hamstring, Manuwa would also withdraw from the fight on September 16, 2018, and Eryk Anders would take his place.

More on Career

When Anders was unable to reach his corner at the end of round three, Santos won the fight via referee stoppage TKO. He won the “Fight of the Night” award because to this victory. He faced Jimi Manuwa on December 8th, and won by KO in the early second round, earning him the “Performance of the Night” award. With five fights in 2018, he equaled for the most in a calendar year. On February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 145, he defeated Jan Bachowicz via third-round TKO. He was given the “Performance of the Night” award for his victory. At UFC 239 on July 6, 2019, Thiago contested Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He was defeated in the back-and-forth fight by a narrow margin.

Despite falling short, he made MMA history by becoming the first competitor to defeat Jones on the judges’ scorecards. He was slated to face Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 177 on September 12, 2020. Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the event, so Holm vs. Aldana, at UFC on ESPN, on October 4, 2020, was chosen as the new date for the fight. The match was then again postponed on September 15 due to Santos’ own positive viral test. Santos vs. Teixeira on November 7, 2020, was the final date for the matchup with Teixeira. despite several occasions when Teixeira came close to being finished. In the third round, Santos was submitted (rear-naked choke).

He then competes against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259 on March 6, 2021. He was defeated by a score of unanimous decisions. Santos most recently competed against Johnny Walker on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193, and prevailed by unanimous decision.

Awards and Achievements

Ultimate Fighting Championship

• Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Jack Marshman, Steve Bosse, Jimi Manuwa, and Jan Błachowicz
• Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Anthony Smith and Eryk Anders
• Tied for most UFC bouts in a calendar year (5).
• Tied for most knockout victories in UFC Middleweight division history (eight) with Anderson Silva & Uriah Hall.

MMATorch.com

• 2015 Best Knockout of the Half-Year vs. Steve Bosse

MMAjunkie.com

• 2018 Round of the Year (Round 1) vs. Jimi Manuwa
• 2018 December Fight of the Month vs. Jimi Manuwa
• 2018 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year

Does Thiago Santos have a wife?

Married man Thiago Santos has a wife. He is dating Yana Kunitskaya, a fellow UFC competitor. After becoming engaged in December 2020, Kunitskaya said that the couple are expecting their first child in August 2021. Soon, the two will be wed.

In terms of Thiago’s sexuality, he is straight. Santos is also thought to have been married in the past because he has a son from a previous relationship. He also shared a picture of his son on Instagram, but he has never mentioned his wife.

Body Measurement: What is Thiago Santos’ height?

Thiago Santos stands at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and weighs about 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st). Also, he has attractive short black hair, and his eyes are a deep brown tint. His body is covered in numerous tattoos, which has drawn a lot of attention to him. Athletic is the body type that Thiago has.

Trivia