Former UFC lightweight Gleison Tibau revealed that he recently won an unsanctioned four-man tournament while filming a rap music video.
Tibau, who fought in the UFC between 2006 and 2018, recently signed a contract to fight with the PFL as part of the promotion’s third season. He will take on Joao Zeferino on Thursday night at PFL 2. Ahead of his return to the cage, Tibau revealed that his fight record needs updating. Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz, Tibau explained how he recently was involved in a four-man, one-night tournament in Germany that was unsanctioned. He won both of the fights, and get this, it’s all part of a rap music video.
“A rap group wanted to do a music video and decided to do a four-man tournament with two fights on the same night, and they wanted real fights,” Tibau said.
“It reminded me of the old days in Brazil, the tournaments I fought, getting called on short notice. It’s not like I’m fighting for five or 10 years, I’ve been doing this for 20 years and have fought for all kinds of promotions. I’ve fought in rings set on the floor, I’ve fought inside an apartment.
“The set looked very gangster-like, it was an industrial area with a cage set in the middle of nowhere, so f*cking cold, and people getting there by helicopter. The production was awesome. It was a great experience. If I were a young kid just starting [in MMA] or used to events like UFC, PFL and Bellator, I’m sure I wouldn’t even leave the car, I’d go back home right away.”
The last time we saw Tibau compete in a sanctioned bout was when he defeated Will Brooks via submission in Battlefield FC in July 2019. Two years and two unsanctioned fights later, and he now returns to the cage this Thursday in hopes of PFL dreams.
Do you think Gleison Tibau can make some noise in PFL?