Thiago Alves
Active 2005–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 82.0
Scouting report
Thiago Alves started Muay Thai at 15 in Fortaleza and moved to Coconut Creek, Florida at 19 to train at American Top Team, where he has been a striking coach since 2017. He fought Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title at UFC 100 in Las Vegas on July 11, 2009 and lost a unanimous decision over five rounds. His UFC record was 15-12. He later fought under the BKFC banner and won the inaugural BKFC middleweight title in June 2021.
Peak ratings
Thiago Alves: a Muay Thai striker who climbed to a title shot
Alves lost his UFC debut to Spencer Fisher by triangle choke in October 2005, then won five of his next six. His title run included Chris Lytle at UFC 78, Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes at UFC 85 and Josh Koscheck at UFC 90. After St-Pierre he went 5-5 in his next ten. A long layoff followed the Kampmann fight in March 2012, and he returned in April 2014. The UFC reportedly released him on January 11, 2020.
Alves, rating by rating
Boxing. 85. Jordan Mein was knocked out by a body kick at 0:39 of round two at UFC 183 in January 2015, a Performance of the Night.
Kickboxing. 88, his best. Hughes was stopped by a flying knee and punches at 1:02 of round two at UFC 85 in London, a Knockout of the Night. Parisyan was stopped by a knee and punches at 0:34 of round two.
Wrestling. 76. Jon Fitch outpointed him at UFC 117 in August 2010, and Rick Story outpointed him at UFC 130 in May 2011.
BJJ. 72, the weakest of his skills. Fisher caught him with a triangle in round two of his debut, and Tim Means choked him in round one at UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019.
Strength. 84. Tony DeSouza was knocked out with a knee at 1:10 of round two at UFC 66, and Curtis Millender knocked Alves out with a knee in February 2018.
Durability. 82. Carlos Condit won by doctor stoppage at the end of round two at UFC Fight Night 67 in Goiania in May 2015.
Cardio. 80. He went five rounds with St-Pierre. Several wins in the middle of his career, over Lytle, Parisyan and Hughes, ended in round two.
Fight IQ. 80. Weight was an issue at UFC 85, UFC 117 and UFC 205, all catchweight fights, with UFC 205 his lightweight debut.
Kickboxing at 88, with a bonus for each way of finishing
He earned Fight of the Night against Lytle and Baczynski, Knockout of the Night against Hughes and Performance of the Night against Mein. The finishes included knees, a flying knee and a body kick. For a draft, he is the Muay Thai slot with real power.
BJJ at 72 and the end of the UFC run
Fisher and Kampmann both submitted him and Means ended his UFC career in December 2019. He also lost to Fitch twice, once by TKO and once on the cards, and to Story, Miller, Kunchenko and Staropoli by decision. Injuries pulled him from UFC 149, UFC Fight Night 26, 49 and 79, and a knee injury ended the Fitch rematch plan for UFC 107. Put a grappler in the slots he cannot cover.
Keep exploring
Closest welterweight profiles to Thiago Alves, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Darren Tillbest boxing 88 · weakest bjj 72
- Tarec Saffiedinebest kickboxing 87 · weakest bjj 74
- Geoff Nealbest boxing 88 · weakest bjj 72
- Santiago Ponzinibbiobest boxing 88 · weakest bjj 76
- Welterweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Thiago Alves's strongest attribute, Kickboxing.
Draft Thiago Alves into your build
Thiago Alves enters the pool on any spin landing on welterweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Thiago Alves is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Thiago Alves's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.