Thiago Alves couldn’t believe what he was seeing when Wilson Gouveia, a longtime friend and training partner, walked into the gym recently.
“My fellow parceirasso Wilson Gouveia now turned police here in Hollywood [Florida], the world is crazy!” he wrote on an Instagram picture of Gouveia in uniform.
Gouveia is a BJJ black belt and member of American Top Team who had ten fights in the UFC’s light-heavyweight and middleweight divisions.
He went 6-4 overall and at one point was approaching a light-heavyweight title shot before Goran Reljic ended his 4-0 run at that time.
Gouveia dropped to middleweight shortly afterwards and won two fights before losing to Nate Marquardt by way of a spectacular ten-hit combination in London, England.
A loss to Alan Belcher followed and Gouveia was then released by the UFC. He went 2-1 in his post-UFC days, his last fight and win being in mid-2012.
Now thought to be retired – though he has never announced it officially – Gouveia spends his days chasing the many, many crazies* who populate the state of Florida.
Gouveia joined the police force in October last year and thus far has had no complaints made against him by any arrestees or members of the public, according to the police department website.
(*Anecdotal evidence suggests that a disproportionate number of America’s most outrageous crimes – such as the Bath Salts Cannibal – occur in the Florida region.)
