Thiago Alves (born 3 October 1983) is a Brazilian bare-knuckle fighter and former mixed martial artist.
2005
A 27-fight veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he competed in the promotion from 2005 until 2019.
2006
"Pitbull" completed a Busy 2006, during which he fought four times.
At UFC 66, he dominated Tony DeSouza, knocking out the jiu-jitsu black belt with a knee in the second round.
Following his victory, it was announced that Alves tested positive for a diuretic, spironolactone, which he supposedly used to help him lose water weight in order to make the 170-pound limit.
As a result of the failed drug test, Alves was suspended eight months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and fined $5,500.
Alves returned at UFC Fight Night 11, where he knocked out Japanese fighter Kuniyoshi Hironaka with a punch and knee in the second round.
Less than two months later, Alves faced off against veteran contender Chris Lytle at UFC 78.
After an exciting stand-up battle, doctors halted the bout at the end of the second round because of a cut above the eye of Lytle, declaring Alves the winner by doctor stoppage.
The bout earned both fighters Fight of the Night bonus award.
2008
In his first bout of 2008 at UFC Fight Night 13, Alves faced his biggest test to date, as he was matched up against welterweight contender Karo Parisyan.
After resisting any attempts to grapple but failing to amount any significant offense during the stand-up exchanges throughout the first round, "The Pitbull" scored a knee to the head of Parisyan, knocking down the judo expert before finishing him on the ground with strikes.
Once again taking just two months between bouts, Alves accepted a fight against former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, a fighter widely considered the most dominant champion in UFC history.
The Welterweight bout, which served as the main event of UFC 85 in London, was scheduled as a late replacement after Chuck Liddell had to pull out of his headliner fight against Rashad Evans with a hamstring injury.
Prior to the bout, Alves surprised many by missing weight for the welterweight bout—coming in at 174 pounds.
Despite his opponent missing the 170-pound limit, Hughes accepted the fight at a catchweight.
Despite the pre-fight blunder, Alves shocked the crowd by dominating the heavily favored former champion.
After picking apart Hughes standing and displaying vastly-improved takedown defense throughout the first round, "The Pitbull" knocked Hughes down with a flying knee and followed him to the ground with punches early in the second, earning a TKO stoppage.
This win earned Alves his first Knockout of the Night bonus award.
In the post fight interview, Alves attributed not making weight to spraining his ankle two weeks before the fight.
Next, Alves was slated to face Diego Sanchez at UFC 90, in what many believed would be a match for the number-one contender spot.
Sanchez, however, would be forced to pull out of the bout just weeks before the event due to injury.
Josh Koscheck, another top-contender and four-time NCAA wrestling All-American, stepped in for Sanchez on short notice.
Alves controlled most of the fight and won via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 30–27).
The Brazilian's improved takedown-defense was once again on display, as the American Top Team fighter forced Koscheck into a kick boxing battle.
Alves' devastating leg kicks proved to be a factor throughout the bout, taking away much of Koscheck's mobility.
2017
Aside from being a professional fighter, Alves has been a striking coach at the American Top Team since 2017.
Born and raised in Fortaleza, Brazil, Alves began training in Muay Thai at the age of 15 in order to get in better shape before transitioning to mixed martial arts at the age of 17.
Alves won his first MMA bout as an amateur at just 15 years old, defeating a 25-year-old competitor by unanimous decision.
At 19, Alves relocated from Brazil to Coconut Creek, Florida to train full-time at the prestigious American Top Team camp.
Alves, with a record of 8–3, received an invitation to make his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 against fellow UFC newcomer Spencer Fisher.
The fight would take place on Alves' twenty-second birthday.
Despite having early success in the bout, especially on the ground, Alves fell victim to a triangle choke late in the second round.
Thiago returned to action on the undercard of UFC 56, defeating previously-undefeated Ansar Chalangov by TKO due to punches at 2:25 into the first round.
At UFC 59, Thiago was matched up against Derrick Noble, a fighter he had previously lost to by (rear-naked choke).
The two fighters were both aggressive on the feet, in which Alves was forced to cover up after getting rocked with a flurry by Noble.
Looking to capitalize, Noble rushed in when Alves caught him with a perfectly timed counterpunch that dropped him and led to Alves scoring a TKO victory.
At Ultimate Fight Night 5, Alves was matched up against fellow up-and-comer Jon Fitch.
In a match-up of two future top welterweight contenders, Fitch defeated Alves via TKO at 4:37 into the second round after landing a flush upkick to the face of Alves which dropped him and led to Fitch finishing the fight with strikes.
Alves returned to his winning ways at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 - The Final Chapter, defeating veteran John Alessio by unanimous decision.
