With the large number of fight cards the UFC has put on this year, a number of fighters have quietly, but dominantly, amassed solid win streaks. We at Fight of the Night have decided to point out six such fighters we believe are set for a big year ahead of them in the Octagon.
Thales Leites
Leites was controversially released by the UFC in 2009 after he lost two straight fights in the Octagon – a decision to then-Middleweight champion Anderson Silva and a split-decision against Alessio Sakara that many thought Leites won.
He kept busy outside the UFC, though, having gone 6-1 after his release. His sole loss in that time – against Matt Horwich – was avenged and he was eventually resigned by the UFC in 2013.
That second chance is one the Brazilian has made the most of. Leites is 4-0 in his second UFC stint, with dominant wins over Tom Watson, Ed Herman, Trevor Smith and Francis Carmont.
Leites is now knocking on the doors of the Middleweight top ten and, because of that, it will be no surprise if his next fight will be against one of the division’s top contenders.
