Paulo Thiago goes commando

It’s well known that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is some sort of Croation anti-terrorist super-cop (it’s in his nickname, fer crissake!). But I wasn’t aware that Paulo Thiago’s day job is busting down doors and cracking skulls as a member of BOPE (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais), the infamous elite special forces commando unit of the Brazilian military that gained notoriety for its rather ruthless war on gangs and rumours of carrying out assassinations and other nasty wet works. There was even a book and movie based on BOPE that I think I’ll have to track down.

We got a peak at Thiago in action during the preview for Saturday’s UFC 109, when he fights Mike Swick (who is subbing for the injured Josh Koscheck). It’s typical SWAT team type stuff but still cool, and definitely different than the usual usual for these now-repetitive and boring Spike shows.

Thiago is certainly more bad-ass than he’s appeared in the octagon. I also like what he and his trainer have to say about his “lucky” punch that knocked out Koscheck in their first meeting. Essentially, it was a combination – right uppercut/left hook – that that the jiu-jitsu fighter practiced all the time and he was lucky enough to connect with it when it counted most. Basically, he made his own luck. Look at the replay of the combo and you can tell it wasn’t a fluke.