Paulo Thiago, Alessio Sakara Suspended Four Weeks Following UFC on Fuel TV 2

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The Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation has medically suspended Paulo Thiago and Alessio Sakara following Saturday’s UFC on Fuel TV 2. The fighters must spend at least 28 days on the sideline after suffering knockout losses at the April 14 event.

Sherdog.com confirmed the news on Wednesday with Jesper Gunnarson, secretary of the SMMAF. UFC on Fuel TV 2 saw Swedish light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson earn a victory on home soil in the evening’s headliner, outpointing Thiago Silva at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm.

An eight-time competitor in the UFC’s welterweight division, Thiago was rendered unconscious in just 42 seconds by Octagon newcomer Siyar Bahadurzada. The 31-year-old charged forward with an overhand right only to be met by a perfectly placed punch from the hard-hitting Afghanistan native. The Brazilian’s lights were turned out mid-stride, and Thiago fell face first to the canvas after absorbing Bahadurzada’s short right hand. The defeat marks Thiago’s third loss in his last four fights.

Sakara fared just slightly better in the co-main event, exchanging briefly with Brian Stann in the standup before eating a hard knee that dropped him to the mat. The Italian managed to weather Stann’s subsequent storm of ground-and-pound, but the American proved resilient from top position, blasting Sakara with a pair of hard lefts from the guard that forced referee Marc Goddard to wave off the contest at 2:26.