The UFC released a fascinating video today that shows Paulo Thiago speaking in front of a Special Operations Police Battalion class in Brazil. Thiago is obviously best known as a UFC welterweight that has tangled with the likes of Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, but he is a member of this battalion known as BOPE as well. This is the description of the video on the Youtube page:
Get a rare, inside look as Paulo Thiago instructs a Special Operations Class at the Police Academy in Brasilia. The class is made up of cadets who are looking to join the Special Operations Police Battalion, also known as BOPE. BOPE is a Special Forces unit of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, and when he's not fighting in the UFC, Thiago is an officer with BOPE.
The video itself doesn't show any actual training or anything, just Thiago talking to the camera and to the group, but it's extremely interesting nonetheless. The class is surprisingly full of non-Brazilians, and they listen intently as Thiago goes through his sporting resume and describes how hard the course is going to be. I definitely recommend you taking the five minutes to watch this, as it shows a different side of Thiago and offers some cool insight into BOPE itself. Thiago will face David Mitchell on the undercard of UFC 134 this Saturday night in Rio.