If anyone outside of Paulo Thiago’s camp would have made it known that he intended to fight the full stable of AKA trained welterweights and dominate most of them, I would have been of the opinion that they were in need of some serious self evaluation. However, after watching Thiago utterly dismantle Mike Swick and, of course, his tremendous upset of Josh Koscheck, who many consider to be one of a select few waiting for a title shot, I have to admit that I ,myself, have had my blinders removed to his potential.

Paulo’s submission win, preceded by a punching combination that altered Swick’s consciousness was a supreme wake up call for many, including myself, who thought that the worst possible scenario would be a decision win over Thiago, just as his team-mate Fitch had eked-out. Lucky for us fans that a relative unknown has emerged in the 170 lbs class to shake thinks up, as only a few worthwhile match-ups seem to be on the horizon. I count myself among the doubters, the uninitiated, if you will, to his backround and subsequent fighting skill.

As I saw his lone loss in the UFC to Jon Fitch, where Fitch won on his ability to utilize his bread-and-butter wresling credentials to keep Paulo out of his gameplan and therefore smother any offensive barrage, I couldnt help but wonder, and cautiously doubt, what may come out of this Brazilian Special Forces Officer in the future.

While a run of dominance akin to a GSP or B.J Penn may be too far off to even contemplate, I know his recent victories have put many of the powers that be on notice to watch out for this young man, and everything he brings to the table. I count myself among the legion of fans laying in wait to see if he can continue to buck the odds, and continue to climb the UFC’s ladder to an, albeit unlikely, prospective title shot

@SinCityJudoka

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