Paulo Thiago Draws UFC Newcomer Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106
by Scott Haber on Oct 26, 2009 1:20 AM EDT
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PrintEarlier this week it was announced (although not yet confirmed by the UFC) that Jon Fitch was being taken off the UFC 106 card due to a knee injury suffered by Ricardo Almeida, and would instead face Thiago Alves in a rematch at UFC 107 in January. Alves's original opponent Paulo Thiago (11-1, 1-1 UFC)) was then left without an opponent, but now Gustavo Noblat, the MMA blogger at Terra.com.br, is reporting that the welterweight switcheroo is complete, with Thiago is being shifted to the UFC 106 card next month to face Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann (9-0):
Paulo Thiago has already set the date and opponent to perform for the third time in the UFC.
His manager, Wallid Ismail, revealed first-hand to this blog that Paulo will face American wrestling expert Jacob Volkmann on November 21st at UFC 106.
*translated
It appears that Thiago has finally caught a break, as if the Alves fight had gone down, Thiago would have faced Koscheck, Fitch, and Alves in his first three UFC bouts...perhaps the toughest trio any UFC newcomer has ever faced. Thiago held his own against Fitch at UFC 100 in July, nearly catching the American in several chokes, but in the end, Fitch's durability and strength were too much for the Brazilian who suffered a unanimous decision loss, eliminating his undefeated status.
Volkmann is undefeated himself, with his most recent win being a brabo choke submission of TUF alum Kevin Knabjian at the sixth Bellator Fighting Championships event back in May. With a strong wrestling base and fellow UFC beasts like Brock Larson and Sean Sherk to push him in training at Minnesota Martial Arts, Volkmann will likely look to use the a strategy similar to Fitch's when he makes his Octagon debut against Thiago in November. What Volkmann probably can't mimic is Fitch's superhuman carotid arteries which seem to laugh in the face of any choke, and Thiago will certainly look to pick up where he left off against Fitch, and try to catch another American wrestler with his slick BJJ.
Current UFC 106 card:
Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane
Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan
Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni
Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann
Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes
Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
*one of the listed prelims will likely be promoted to the main card to give the PPV broadcast its standard five fights.
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Volkmann wrestled at the University of Minnesota (165 lbs), is a three-time All-American and is one of very few wrestlers in the history of that illustrious program to place top fourth in the NCAA Championships on three different occasions. He also wrestled for the Minnesota Storm, won a Greco World Championship in 2005 and the Switzerland World Grappling Championships in late 2008. He’s a rare mix of world class wrestling and BJJ and is able to hold his own when rolling with the likes of Larson and Sherk. He also trains with Nik Lentz, Nick Thompson and others at MMAA. He’s a notoriously hard trainer (like most of the aforementioned from MMAA) and has a mean-streak. He could make the cut to 155 if he wanted in the future (though, that is based on his background and not a reflection on his size). This is more of a tough fight for Thiago than people may realize right now and could be worth a serious look on a flyer if a favorable line drops.
I STILL poop rainbows.
by Blackout612 on Oct 26, 2009 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This won’t be a break… Volkmann will do what Koscheck should’ve done to him. Volkmann GnP, round 1.
by itsallgood013 on Oct 26, 2009 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Freakin' sweet!
Volkmann by destruction! Thiago is in some trouble here. He may have the better striking, but Volkmann should absolutely dominate him on the ground. I’m very excited for this fight.
by mictlantechutli on Oct 26, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions
?
Thiago held his own against Fitch at UFC 100 in July, nearly catching the American in several chokes, but in the end, Fitch’s durability and strength were too much for the Brazilian who suffered a unanimous decision loss, eliminating his undefeated status.
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