Thales Leites was building himself quite the Cinderella story after his return to the UFC. Five wins a row put him in the mix of the middleweight division and earned him a main event spot against Michael Bisping. Unfortunately, that's what brought his title run to a halt.
Now paired against Gegard Mousasi, Leites told Portal do Vale Tudo he will use what he learned from the Bisping loss in order to go back where he once were.
"Mousasi is a tough guy. He is calm, collected, heavy-handed and has been fighting for years. Against Bisping, my intention was to strike all the time and knock him out. When I touched him, I could tell he was hurt, so I started head hunting, but he has very good footwork and didn't let me pull the trigger."
"He touched me more, I'm sure, but I was more effective. In order not to leave the judges guessing, I should have gone for a takedown every round at least once. That was my mistake, I should have believed more in my jiu-jitsu."
Thales Leites is scheduled to take on Gegard Mousasi in London at UFC Fight Night 83 on February 27. The bout will pose as the co-main event for the return of Anderson Silva against Michael Bisping.