The “Countdown to UFC 109” show positioned Paulo Thiago as the ultimate bad ass: when the cops in Brazil have a problem they can’t handle, they call Paulo Thiago. Well, not exactly like that, but you get the point. Thiago served the same role at UFC 109 tonight, exciting a crowd that had grown listless because of a string of boring fights that went to decision.
Thiago won a close first round. Early in the second, Thiago clipped the Texas native with a left hook that dropped Swick to the mat. Thiago quickly followed Swick to the mat and applied a D’Arce choke, which he kept tightly secured until Swick passed out and the ref stopped the fight.