Thiago-Mitchell Official; 5 Fights Greenlit for UFC ‘Rio’

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A rumored welterweight showdown between Paulo Thiago and David Mitchell has been ratified by the UFC, making five contests now official for UFC 134 “Rio.”

Headlined by a middleweight title clash between dominant champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, UFC 134 goes down Aug. 27 from HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The card will feature a heavy dose of Brazilian talent, as lightweights Edson Mendes Barboza Jr. and Thiago Tavares square off with Brit Ross Pearson and American Spencer Fisher, respectively. The event will also showcase a light heavyweight confrontation pitting Luiz Cane against debuting Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov.

Thiago looks to recover from back-to-back defeats, as the Brazilian was bested by both Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez last year. Known for his heavy hands and potent submissions, Thiago debuted with the UFC in 2009, upsetting Josh Koscheck via first-round knockout at UFC 95. The 30-year-old was outpointed by Jon Fitch later that year, but rebounded with consecutive wins over Jacob Volkmann and Mike Swick, respectively.

Mitchell tasted defeat for the first time in his UFC debut, as the 31-year-old fell by decision to T.J. Waldburger at Fight Night 22 in September. Prior to that loss, the Californian held an undefeated pro record, besting the likes of Poppies Martinez and War Machine during his year-long tenure with Tachi Palace Fights.