FORMER welterweight fighter Paulo Thiago entered the UFC with more hand-to-hand combat experience than usual.
The Brazilian came into the UFC with six years of training as an elite special forces police officer.
As a B.O.P.E. officer on the deadly streets of Brazil, fighting people in an octagon was mere sport to Thiago.
The real danger was when he was on the job, conducting hostage rescues, bomb diffusions, gun seizures, and even drug busts.
B.O.P.E., short for Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (Special Police Operations Battalion in English), is the elite special forces unit of military police for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
With 400 soldiers, B.O.P.E. is thought of as one of the most efficient and effective military forces on the planet.
Then-Captain Wesley Santos best described the elite program: “When society needs help, they call the police. When the police need help, they call B.O.P.E.
“Thiago is a true B.O.P.E officer.”
Thiago detailed his experience with the team: “When I go out on an operation, I don’t think about if I’m afraid of not returning home.
“That’s something that doesn’t even go through my mind. What goes through my mind are the other members of my battalion and to complete the mission at all costs.
“To experience situations of great danger, I think hardens a man’s spirit.
“He gains more tranquility in situations a normal person would lose control.
“I think that in this way, my military service helped my MMA a lot.”
In 2012, the UFC released behind-the-scenes footage of Thiago working an everyday shift.
He conducted classes teaching other officers, practiced rappel tactics, and tested automatic rifles by shooting targets.
With the leading MMA promoter, Thiago fought 13 times, compiling a 5-8 record in the UFC.
His last fight came in 2014 with a loss via unanimous decision to Sean Spencer.
