At UFC 164, Gleison Tibau becomes youngest fighter to record 20 UFC bouts

On Saturday night, UFC lightweight Gleison Tibau will join an exclusive club currently occupied by some of the sport’s all-time greats.

At UFC 164 Tibau will have the honor of competing inside the octagon for the 20th time, something just a dozen others have managed to accomplish in the nearly two decades the UFC has existed.

What makes it even more special is Tibau (27-9 MMA, 12-7 UFC) will become the first Brazilian to earn a membership to this exclusive club.

It’s a difficult task to remain in the world’s premier MMA organization for an extended period, and when he makes his 20th walk to the cage to fight Jamie Varner (21-7-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) inside Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, Tibau will reach a milestone no one can ever take away from him.

“I’m very excited about having my 20th fight in the UFC, which is the best MMA organization in the world,” Tibau told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’ve been working for them for seven years now. And I’m looking forward to facing Jamie Varner, who is a great fighter going back to the WEC. This will be a great fight.”

Tibau first joined the UFC roster in November 2006, and without ever being released, has competed in welterweight, lightweight and catchweight bouts against some of the world’s top competitors.

Others on the list of 20-plus UFC fights include former champions and UFC Hall of Fame inductees such as Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn.

In a continually evolving MMA climate, fighters in the UFC come and go, with names vanishing and appearing with each passing event.

And despite the lack of knockouts, submissions or “Fight of the Night” bonuses in his UFC career, Tibau has figured out how to repeatedly win at the highest level and remain a constant on the roster – something he credits to never being satisfied.

“I always seek to innovate,” he said. “In the UFC, if you don’t innovate, you’ll be left behind since new talent is always being hired. You can even learn something different by training with young talent. One should never get comfortable. It’s necessary to always evolve in our areas of weakness.

“My official record shows 36 fights, but growing up in the Brazilian northeast, I had several unsanctioned fights, often bare-knuckled. I’ve fought over 50 times. Since that time I always sought to evolve. Everyday something new and useful can be learned and be applied at fight time.”

The 30-year-old is clearly doing something right. Not only is he the youngest fighter to reach the 20-bout plateau, but also he’s just one of four in the group to have never fought for or held a UFC championship.

Tibau has found himself a nice place as the bench marker for rising 155-pound talent, as seen in his contests with top 15-ranked fighters such as Jim Miller, Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Of the 11 men Tibau has defeated in the UFC, just three remain active in the lightweight division, meaning the UFC brass likely has a strong feeling that if you can’t get past Tibau, there’s a good chance you aren’t ready for the rest of what the weight class has to offer.

Fortunately this time around, Tibau will be facing another veteran of the company in Varner, a former WEC champion who is in the midst of a career resurgence after being brought back to the UFC for a second stint in 2012.

Tibau meets Varner in the featured bout of the UFC 164 preliminary card, which airs on FOX Sports 1. The main card is available on pay-per-view.

That matchup has all the makings of a classic and competitive Tibau bout – particularly due to the fact both fighters are solid on the feet and rank as the top 2 in lightweight history in terms of best takedown defense.

While it looks like an evenly matched battle on paper, Tibau believes he brings too much to the table and that “The Worm” will be overwhelmed by his physical strength and technical abilities.

“I envision I great victory,” Tibau said. “Trained everywhere, and I’m ready for anything. It can be standing, wrestling or on the ground. I see a great fight, a great victory and my arm raised at the end. That’s what I see.”

Tibau has spent more than three hours of his life in a UFC cage trying to inflict harm on his opponents, and while reaching the 20-bout mark is a major addition to the resume, he’s not fulfilled with his body of work and still has a long list of goals in mind before leaving the sport.

For now, though, Tibau is taking things as he always does: one fight at a time. He’s not downplaying the big-picture importance of Saturday’s bout, and that’s exactly why he is planning for his best performance to date.

“I hope it’s a great fight because I plan for my 20th fight to be a golden moment in my career,” he said.

For more on UFC 164, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.