Thales Leites Looking To Fight Tim Kennedy Next
UFC middleweight Thales Leites has gone through a significant career resurgence as of late. Since returning to the UFC in 2013, Leites has rattled off five-straight wins, looking very impressive in the process.
He’s also showed that he is not just a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu guru, but has vastly improved striking as well. His latest win was a second-round submission over Tim Boetsch at last weekend’s (January 31, 2015) UFC 183. Now, Leites is eying a Top 10 opponent.
The Brazilian would apparently like to face off with former Strikeforce title contender Tim Kennedy next. Kennedy is currently ranked No. 8 in the middleweight rankings and coming off of a controversial loss to Yoel Romero, so Leites believes the time is right for a bout with “The Sniper.” He spoke to MMAFighting.com:
“I usually don’t choose opponents, I leave that to the UFC, but I believe Tim Kennedy is the best option for my next fight,” Leites stated in a release. “I always want to be among the best, always respecting my opponents. He’s tough, he’s well ranked, and it would be an interesting fight.”
Leites is known for his decorated ground game, but his submission win over Boetsch was his first submission win since 2012. Leites knows the fight starts on the feet and he wants to be well-rounded, despite deeply loving jiu-jitsu. When it’s all said and done, however, he obviously loves submitting his opponents:
“I always go for the submission, but I know the fight starts standing and that’s how things go,” he said. “It’s getting harder every time to take my opponents down, and it’s even harder to keep them there. The feeling of submitting (an opponent) is amazing. I’m a jiu-jitsu guy and I love to put on the gi and train with my friends. That’s part of my job, but also one of my hobbies.”
He also spoke of his coach, the highly accredited Andre Pederneiras of Nova Uniao, predicted that Leites would finish Boetsch with an arm-triangle:
“Right before the fight, ‘Dede’ talked about the arm-triangle choke and said I would win that way. And it happened,” Leites said. “He later said he had a premonition, and I asked him to let me know if that happens again next time.”
Being 5-0 in his second stint with the UFC, it’s definitely time for Leites to face a true test. How do you think he would fare against Kennedy?
