Thiago Santos de Lima (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), competing in the light heavyweight division.
2010
A professional competitor since 2010, he gained entrance into the UFC by competing on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2.
Santos was born into a poverty-stricken family in Rio de Janeiro.
In early childhood, he suffered from an undiagnosed disease that spawned growing cysts in his stomach, but which were surgically removed.
In one of the occasional floods in his city, Santos' family lost their belongings and after a period of homelessness, they settled in the notorious neighborhood of Cidade de Deus.
Santos' father died just days after his mixed martial arts debut in 2010.
Before starting MMA, Santos trained in capoeira for eight years and was a Brazilian army paratrooper.
He made his professional MMA debut in October 2010.
Before joining The Ultimate Fighter, he had a record of 8 wins and only 1 loss.
2013
In March 2013, it was announced that Santos was part of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2.
In the opening round, Santos defeated Gil Freitas by majority decision to get into the TUF house.
He was the last pick when it came to the coaches' pick, ending up on Team Werdum.
In the elimination round, Santos first faced Pedro Iriê and won by unanimous decision.
In the quarterfinals, he faced eventual season winner Leonardo Santos and lost via unanimous decision.
Despite not winning the show, Santos was signed to a contract by the UFC.
He made his debut on August 3, 2013, at UFC 163 against The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira.
He lost the fight via submission in the first round.
2014
For his second fight with the promotion, Santos faced Ronny Markes on March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2.
He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Santos faced Uriah Hall at UFC 175.
He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
2015
Santos next faced Andy Enz on January 30, 2015, at UFC 183.
He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Santos faced promotional newcomer Steve Bossé on June 27, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 70.
He won the fight by knockout in the first round and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Santos faced Elias Theodorou on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80.
He won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–27, and 29–27).
2016
Santos faced Nate Marquardt on May 14, 2016, at UFC 198.
He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Santos fought Gegard Mousasi on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200, filling in for an injured Derek Brunson.
He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Santos fought Eric Spicely on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95.
In a large upset, he lost the fight by submission in the first round.
2017
Santos faced Jack Marshman on February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105.
He won the fight via TKO in the second round due to a combination of a spinning heel kick and punches and picked up a Performance of the Night bonus award.
Santos faced Gerald Meerschaert on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213.
He won the fight via TKO in the second round.
Santos was briefly linked to a bout with promotional newcomer Michał Materla on October 21, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 118.
However, it was revealed on 1 September that Materla had reneged on his agreement with the UFC and was re-signing with the Polish regional promotion KSW.
2019
Prior to signing with the PFL, Santos competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, and he challenged for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship once in July 2019.
