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Gleison Tibau

Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter

Field	Value
name	Gleison Tibau
image_size	200px
birth_name	Janigleison Herculano Alves
birth_date
birth_place	Tibau, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
height
weight	175 lb
weight_class	Welterweight
Lightweight
reach	70 in
stance	Southpaw
fighting_out_of	Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
team	American Top Team (2006–present)
rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
years_active	1999–present
mma_kowin	4
mma_subwin	16
mma_decwin	20
mma_koloss	5
mma_subloss	2
mma_decloss	11
mma_dqloss	1
sherdog	5993

Lightweight

Janigleison Herculano Alves,{{cite web

Early life

Tibau began training for mixed martial arts at 13 and was fighting by 15. He was a state champion in Rio de Janeiro in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling. He was brought up as a fighter in Kimura team, from northern Brazil. Tibau trains at American Top Team.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Tibau made his UFC debut at welterweight against Nick Diaz. Tibau started strong and was taking Diaz down efficiently while avoiding submissions using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the second round he got tired and lost by TKO due to strikes. Tibau took on Jason Dent at UFC 68. Tibau won by unanimous decision. He then took a one fight hiatus from the company and returned to defeat Jeff Cox by submission due to an arm-triangle choke. Tibau then fought undefeated Brit Terry Etim, outwrestling his opponent for a unanimous decision.

Tibau then lost back to back fights to Tyson Griffin at UFC 81 and Joe Stevenson at UFC 86. He was on the verge of release from UFC by president Dana White. He rebounded with back to back wins over Rich Clementi and Jeremy Stephens.

At the TUF 9 Finale, Tibau fought Melvin Guillard. Tibau lost by split decision. Three media outlets scored the fight for Tibau.

Tibau's next fight was at UFC 104 where Tibau beat Josh Neer after landing 10 takedowns via unanimous decision (30-27, 30–27, 30–27).

Tibau won his second straight match with a first-round TKO over Caol Uno on March 31, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 21. Tibau faced Jim Miller on September 15, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 22. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Tibau beat Kurt Pellegrino on March 19, 2011, at UFC 128 via split decision.

Tibau then defeated veteran Rafaello Oliveira via second round rear naked choke, earning Submission of the Night honors.

Tibau won via split decision against Rafael dos Anjos on November 19, 2011, at UFC 139. Tibau next faced undefeated prospect Khabib Nurmagomedov on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148, losing via unanimous decision.

Tibau fought Francisco Trinaldo on October 13, 2012, at UFC 153 winning via unanimous decision.

He lost to Evan Dunham on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156 by split decision. Tibau then faced John Cholish on May 18, 2013, at UFC on FX 8, winning via second round submission.

Tibau beat Jamie Varner on August 31, 2013, at UFC 164 by split decision. With this fight, he became the youngest fighter in UFC history to record 20 bouts.

Tibau lost to Michael Johnson in the last fight of his contract on December 28, 2013, at UFC 168 via second-round knockout.

On January 16, 2014, Tibau signed a four-fight contract.

Tibau faced Pat Healy on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45, winning by unanimous decision.

Tibau next faced Piotr Hallmann on September 13, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 51. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. This fight earned Tibau his first Fight of the Night bonus award. Following the bout Hallmann failed his post fight drug test due to the presence of drostanolone in his system.

Tibau defeated Norman Parke on January 18, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 59, replacing Jorge Masvidal, winning via split decision.

Tibau replaced an injured Yancy Medeiros was against Tony Ferguson on February 28, 2015, at UFC 184, losing by submission in the first round, his first submission defeat since his 2008 loss to Joe Stevenson.

Tibau defeated Abel Trujillo at UFC Fight Night 77 on November 7, 2015 via a first round submission. Tibau took Trujillo's back, secured a body triangle from the bottom and grabbed a rear-naked choke grip with his arm underneath Trujillo's chin. After a few seconds in this position, referee Keith Peterson halted the contest as he believed that Trujillo was unconscious. Trujillo indicated that he planned to appeal the decision in hopes that the result may be changed to a No Contest.

On December 4, 2015, Tibau was suspended by USADA due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition test. On December 23, 2015, it was reported that he had also failed an in-competition test following his win over Trujillo. On February 18, 2016, Tibau was suspended for 2 years by USADA as well as having the result of his fight against Trujillo reversed to a loss.

Tibau faced Islam Makhachev on January 20, 2018, at UFC 220. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Tibau faced Desmond Green on June 1, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 131. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Tibau's bout with Green marked the last fight of his contract and after more than a decade in the UFC, Tibau chose not to renew the contract, becoming a free agent.

Post-UFC career

After the long career in the UFC, Tibau revealed he will be moving up to welterweight division. On September 4, 2018, it was revealed that Tibau would fight Golden Boy Promotions' inaugural MMA event, headlined by the third encounter of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Despite the announcement on going up a weight class, Tibau faced fellow UFC veteran Efrain Escudero in a 160lbs catchweight bout. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Tibau replaced Abel Trujillo on short notice against Will Brooks at Battlefield FC 2 on July 27, 2019, winning by Round 1 Submission.

Tibau was next expected to face Chris Cisneros at Taura MMA 11 on October 30, 2020. However, the bout was moved to Taura MMA 12 on November 22, 2020, which in turn was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues.

Professional Fighters League

2021 season

On February 25, 2021, news surfaced that Tibau had signed with Professional Fighters League and is expected to compete in the welterweight tournament of season 2021.

Tibau was set to face fellow UFC vet Alexey Kunchenko on April 29, 2021, at PFL 2 as the start of the 2021 PFL Welterweight tournament. On March 25, it was announced that Kunchenko pulled out of the bout and due to this Tibau was set to face João Zeferino. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Tibau faced Rory MacDonald at PFL 5 on June 17, 2021. He won the fight by a controversial split decision, with the vast majority of media scores and other professional MMA fighters scoring the bout as a win for MacDonald. Despite the victory over MacDonald, Tibau did not advance to the playoffs.

Tibau was scheduled to face Sadibou Sy on August 13, 2021, at PFL 7. However on August 4, it was announced that Sy replaced João Zeferino in the playoffs, and therefore Tibau's new opponent would be Curtis Millender. On August 12, Millender was announced to have pulled out of the bout, so Tibau instead faced Micah Terrill. Tibau won the bout via technical submission, choking Terrill unconscious in the first round via arm-triangle choke.

2022 season

Tibau faced Jarrah Al-Silawi on May 6, 2022, at PFL 3. He lost the bout via controversial split decision.

Tibau was scheduled to face Nikolai Aleksakhin on July 1, 2022, at PFL 6. However, Tibau pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Carlos Leal.

Tibau faced Magomed Magomedkerimov on November 25, 2022, at PFL 10. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Post PFL

Tibau faced Alexey Kunchenko on February 11, 2023, at RCC 14, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

Tibau returned to RCC at RCC 16, facing Boris Medvedev on July 28, 2023, losing the bout via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round.

Tibau faced Burenzorig Batmunkh on January 21, 2024 at Top Brights 1, winning the bout via split decision.

Tibau was scheduled to face Alex Oliveira in the inaugural Global Fight League event on May 24, 2025 at GFL 1. However, all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Piotr Hallmann
- Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Rafaello Oliveira
- Fifth most wins in UFC Lightweight division history (16)
- Most takedowns landed in the UFC Lightweight division (84)
- Third most takedowns landed in UFC history (84)
- Tied (Andre Fili) for most split decision wins in UFC history (5)
  - Second most split decision bouts in UFC history (7) (behind Clay Guida)
- Most decision wins in UFC Lightweight division history (11)
- Tied (Joe Lauzon & Michael Johnson) for third most bouts in UFC Lightweight division history (27)
- Fourth most total fight time in UFC Lightweight division history (5:01:30)
- Second most control time in UFC Lightweight division history (1:39:57)
- Second most top control time in UFC Lightweight division history (1:11:30)
- Highest takedown defense percentage in UFC Lightweight division history (92.0%)

Mixed martial arts record

other-losses=
Win
Matias Juarez
Submission (arm-triangle choke)
WNC 3

| |Geneva, Switzerland

Won the inaugural WNC Welterweight Championship.
Win
Joël Kouadja
Decision (unanimous)
Warriors Night MMA 1

| |Geneva, Switzerland

Middleweight debut.
Win
Burenzorig Batmunkh
Decision (split)
TOP BRIGHTS 01

Catchweight (175 lb) bout.
Loss
Jarrah Al-Silawi
Decision (split)
PFL 3 (2022)

| |Arlington, Texas, United States | |- |Win |Micah Terrill |Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) |PFL 7 (2021) | |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |Rory MacDonald |Decision (split) |PFL 5 (2021) | |Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- |Loss |João Zeferino |Decision (unanimous) |PFL 2 (2021) | |Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

Return to Welterweight.
Win
Will Brooks
Submission (guillotine choke)
Battlefield FC 2

Catchweight (160 lbs) bout
Loss
Desmond Green
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes

Originally a submission (rear naked choke) win for Tibau; overturned after he tested positive for erythropoietin.
Loss
Tony Ferguson
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC 184

Fight of the Night.
Win
Pat Healy
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller

| | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- | Loss | Michael Johnson | KO (punches) | UFC 168 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Jamie Varner | Decision (split) | UFC 164 | | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | |- | Win | John Cholish | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold | | Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil | |- | Loss | Evan Dunham | Decision (split) | UFC 156 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Francisco Trinaldo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 153 | | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Loss | Khabib Nurmagomedov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 148 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (split) | UFC 139 | | San Jose, California, United States | |- | Win | Rafaello Oliveira | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 130 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Submission of the Night.
Win
Kurt Pellegrino
Decision (split)
UFC 128

Catchweight (157 lbs) bout; both fighters missed weight.
Loss
Melvin Guillard
Decision (split)
The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale

Catchweight (158 lbs) bout; both fighters missed weight.
Win
Rich Clementi
Submission (guillotine choke)
UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens

Lightweight debut.
Loss
Nick Diaz
TKO (punches)
UFC 65

| | Sacramento, California, United States

Welterweight bout.
Win
Jędrzej Kubski
Submission (rear-naked choke)
KO Arena 4

Welterweight bout.
Win
Fernando Terere
Decision (split)
Bitetti Combat Nordeste 2

References

"Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Cerrone vs. Miller". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Sharon Robb. (July 4, 2008). "Brazilians making it in America". [[Sun-Sentinel]].
"Gleison Tibau - Official UFC Fighter Profile". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
(June 30, 2012). "UFC 148 Media Notes". UFC.
[http://mmajunkie.com/news/15267/the-ultimate-fighter-9-finale-live-round-by-round-updates-and-official-results.mma The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale live round by round updates and official results] {{webarchive. link. (2009-06-22)
Decisions, MMA. (June 20, 2009). "MMA Decisions - Tibau vs Guillard".
"Sherk out, Neer in to face Gleison Tibau at UFC 104".
"Gleison Tibau vs. Caol Uno at Fight Night 21". tatame.com.
(2010-05-24). "MILLER VS TIBAU SEPT. 15, TUF 12 DEBUT EXPECTED". mmaweekly.com.
(December 15, 2010). "Pellegrino vs. Tibau slated for UFC 129 in New Jersey". mmajunkie.com.
(May 19, 2011). "Oliveira Replaces Palaszewski, Faces Tibau at UFC 130". sherdog.com.
(16 August 2011). "UFC 139 confirmed for San Jose, adds Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gleison Tibau". mmajunkie.com.
(March 29, 2012). "Gleison Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov added to July's UFC 148 event". mmajunkie.com.
(August 2, 2012). "Francisco Drinaldo announces UFC 153 fight with Gleison Tibau". mmajunkie.com.
(December 6, 2012). "Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau Added to UFC 156". mmaweekly.com.
(March 6, 2013). "Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish joins UFC on FX 8 lineup". mmajunkie.com.
(June 19, 2013). "Lightweights Jamie Varner and Gleison Tibau set for UFC 164 in Milwaukee". mmajunkie.com.
(September 18, 2013). "Michael Johnson vs. Gleison Tibau lightweight bout set for UFC 168 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
(January 16, 2014). "Gleison Tibau signs new four-fight deal with the UFC". mmafighting.com.
Dana Becker. (2014-05-05). "UFC Fight Night 45 Secures Pat Healy-Gleison Tibau". fightline.com.
Staff. (2014-07-29). "Hallmann-Tibau booked for UFC Fight Night 51 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com.
(September 13, 2014). "UFC Fight Night 51 bonuses: Arlovski, Pepey, Tibau and Hallmann win $50,000 bonuses". MMAjunkie.com.
Staff. (October 6, 2014). "'Fight of the Night' winner Piotr Hallmann fails UFC Fight Night 51 drug test". mmajunkie.com.
Staff. (2014-12-04). "Jorge Masvidal out, Gleison Tibau meets Norman Parke at UFC Fight Night 59". mmajunkie.com.
Ben Fowlkes. (2015-01-18). "UFC Fight Night 59 results: Gleison Tibau outworks Norman Parke for split decision win". mmajunkie.com.
C.J. Tuttle. (2015-02-03). "Gleison Tibau replaces Yancy Medeiros, faces Tony Ferguson at UFC 184". sherdog.com.
Sean Bio. (2015-08-04). "Gleison Tibau vs. Abel Trujillo added to UFC Sao Paulo in November". cagepages.com.
Nick Baldwin. (2015-11-08). "'Disappointed' Abel Trujillo on controversial loss: 'I didn't get to fight'". bloodyelbow.com.
(November 11, 2015). "Abel Trujillo will appeal loss to Gleison Tibau in Brazil". MMAfighting.com.
(December 4, 2015). "UFC Statement on Gleison Tibau". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
(24 December 2015). "Gleison Tibau notified of in-competition testing failure, his second failed drug test". MMAjunkie.
"Gleison Tibau Accepts Doping Sanction - UFC - USADA". UFC Anti-Doping Program.
Guilherme Cruz. (2017-11-02). "Islam Makhachev vs. Gleison Tibau booked for UFC 220 in Boston". mmafighting.com.
(2018-01-21). "UFC 220 results: Islam Makhachev KOs Gleison Tibau in 57 seconds, calls out Kevin Lee". MMAjunkie.
(2018-04-13). "Desmond Green-Gleison Tibau, Johnny Eduardo-Nathaniel Wood added to UFC Utica". MMAjunkie.
(2018-06-02). "UFC Fight Night 131 results: Desmond Green outworks Gleison Tibau for unanimous decision". MMAjunkie.
Guilherme Cruz. (August 13, 2018). "Gleison Tibau parts ways with the UFC after 28 Octagon appearances". mmafighting.com.
Guilherme Cruz. (September 4, 2018). "Gleison Tibau to return on the undercard of Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell 3". mmafighting.com.
Steven Marrocco. (October 15, 2018). "Proposed Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 lineup features Gleison Tibau vs. Efrain Escudero". mmajunkie.com.
(2018-11-25). "Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 results: Gleison Tibau grinds out decision over gritty Efrain Escudero". MMAjunkie.
Cole Shelton. (July 5, 2019). "Gleison Tibau to Fight Will Brooks in New Main Event of Battlefield FC 2". sherdog.com.
Guilherme Cruz. (September 17, 2020). "Daron Cruickshank to face Brazilian prospect Deivison Ribeiro at Taura MMA 11". mmafighting.com.
Guilherme Cruz. (November 16, 2020). "Taura MMA postpones two cards to 2021 due to COVID-related issues". mmafighting.com.
Jay Pettry. (February 25, 2021). "PFL Completes 60-Fighter Roster for 2021 Season Including Gleison Tibau, Kaitlin Young". [[Sherdog]].
Damon Martin. (March 2, 2021). "Rory MacDonald faces David Michaud in PFL debut as welterweights, light heavyweights begin season on April 29". MMAFighting.com.
Sherdog.com. "Gleison Tibau Meets Joao Zeferino at PFL 2 After Two Fighters Withdraw from Card".
Marrocco, Steven. (2021-04-29). "PFL 2 results: Rory MacDonald tricks Curtis Millender, gets first-round tapout".
Newswire, MMA Fighting. (2021-05-19). "Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau headlines PFL 5 main card with welterweights and light heavyweights".
Anderson, Jay. (2021-06-17). "PFL 5: Rory MacDonald Drops Inconsequential Bout to Gleison Tibau, Makes Playoffs Regardless".
Martin, Damon. (2021-06-17). "PFL 5 results: Gleison Tibau wins controversial split decision over Rory MacDonald".
(2021-06-17). "PFL 5: Rory MacDonald, Ray Cooper III, Emiliano Sordi secure playoff spots".
Sherdog.com. "PFL 5 2021 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring".
Newswire, MMA Fighting. (2021-07-27). "PFL announces full card for first playoff event headlined by Rory MacDonald vs. Ray Cooper III on Aug. 13".
(2021-08-04). "2021 PFL Playoffs 1 sees four matchups altered, one fight added".
"Updated Fight Card for Tomorrow Night's Prelims!".
(2021-08-13). "Ray Cooper locks up PFL championship rematch against Magomed Magomedkerimov".
(2022-04-05). "Harrison, Cooper to headline PFL3 event".
(2022-05-06). "Gleison Tibau é superado por pontos em decisão polêmica; Vanessa Melo estreia com derrota na PFL #3".
(2022-06-01). "Harrison gets toughest test yet vs. Budd at PFL 6".
"2022 PFL6 Fight Card Updates".
Critchfield, Tristen. "Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Gleison Tibau Added to PFL Championships on Nov. 25".
(2022-11-25). "Gleison Tibau sofre com envergadura de russo e perde por pontos na PFL 10 2022".
"Тюменский боец Алексей Кунченко одержал победу над Глейсоном Тибау на турнире RCC 14".
(2023-07-28). "Кунченко закончил карьеру и поблагодарил Шлеменко, экс-соперника Хабиба жестко избили. Самое интересное на турнире RCC 16".
格闘技情報を毎日配信！, eFight 【イーファイト】. (21 January 2024). "【TOP BRIGHTS】元UFCチバウ、モンゴル空手王者に接戦勝利！肩固めで二アフィニッシュの場面も".
Jeff Cain. (2025-03-27). "GFL 1 fight card, start time, date and location - Faber vs. Barao 3". mmamania.com.
Matthew Wells, Mike Bohn and Nolan King. (2025-04-09). "Global Fight League's inaugural back-to-back events in May canceled". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
(September 13, 2014). "UFC Fight Night 51 Fighter Bonuses: Andrei Arlovski Punches His Way to $50,000 Performance Award". mmaweekly.com.
(May 29, 2011). "UFC 130 bonuses: Browne, Tibau, Stann and Santiago get $70K awards". [[MMAjunkie.com]].
(October 11, 2025). "UFC Lightweight Stats". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
(January 19, 2025). "UFC - All Fighters - Stats". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
rlesende. (2023-11-10). "Octagon feats: The 25 most impressive UFC records". bolavip.com.
Mike Bohn. (2025-08-10). "UFC on ESPN 72 post-event facts: Takedowns, slams and split decisions on historic card". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
Bohn, Mike. (November 3, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 77 pre-fight facts: Gleison Tibau – most UFC bouts in history?".
Sherdog.com. "Gleison Tibau MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com".

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