Cody "No Love" Garbrandt (9-0) put on a show Sunday night in Las Vegas. He didn't even need a full round to smoke the previously undefeated Thomas Almeida (21-1).
Garbrandt came into the main event of UFC Fight Night 88 with an unblemished record, and his hard right hand ensured he left the Octagon with that intact. With a series of crushing shots, Garbrandt secured his ninth win and moved to the forefront of the bantamweight class.
The fight looked like a stand-up war on paper, and that's what it turned out to be—for as long as it lasted.
Garbrandt found the range with his straight right hand early. He was the harder puncher, and he wouldn't give Almeida any room to breathe. After stunning him early in the round, Garbrandt connected on the definitive right hand that sent the Brazilian tumbling to the mat.
It was a clean shot right on Almeida's chin, and he was finished before he hit the canvas.
The UFC tweeted Garbrandt's primal celebration:
Now THAT'S how you celebrate the biggest win of your career! Congrats @Cody_NoLove!!! WOW! #UFCVegas https://t.co/eI7RaJmv7I
— #UFCVegas (@ufc) May 30, 2016
He wasn't ranked coming into the fight, but per Fox Sports' Ariel Helwani, Garbrandt expects to see a little number next to his name Monday:
"Hey, can I get some respect now? I'm not even in the top 15?" Garbrandt asks the prestigious ranking committee.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 30, 2016
With UFC 203 already set to take place in Cleveland in September and Garbrandt being from Ohio, Helwani also believes that would be a great spot for the 24-year-old's next fight:
Gotta think the next time we see Garbrandt, a native of Ohio, is 203 in Cleveland. Some good options out there for the man.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 30, 2016
Just about anyone in the Top 10 should be fair game for No Love.
Almeida is also just 24. Bleacher Report MMA doesn't expect him to fall far in the eyes of most MMA experts:
Thomas Almeida will be back. He's just too good. I'd say this was more about Garbrandt being a freak than any Almeida failing.
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) May 30, 2016
But he must work on his striking defense. He took a lot of shots from Brad Pickett as well in July. The I-can-take-your-best-shots approach isn't conducive to winning a title. Almost everyone who currently has a belt in the UFC moves his or her head—Robbie Lawler might be the only exception.
Almeida has a lot of tools, but he has to work on that part of his game to maximize his potential.
Stephens Pushes Past Barao
In a spirited battle, Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stephens outpointed Renan Barao. All three judges scored it 29-28 in the former's favor. The fight was close, and many in the MMA community saw it differently.
Rob Tatum of Combat Press favored Barao, but Showtime's Mauro Ranallo thought Stephens did the better work over three rounds:
Wow. Great fight. 29-28 Barao on my card. #UFCVegas @MMADecisions
— Rob Tatum (@RobTatumMMA) May 30, 2016
I have it 29-28 Stephens. Landed more telling blows in 3rd round. #ufcfightnight
— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) May 30, 2016
The first two rounds were likely scored the same on all three cards. Barao easily outstruck Stephens in the first frame, 15-8 in significant strikes, per UFC.com. Stephens came roaring back in the second.
He landed some titanic uppercuts that dazed the Brazilian but didn't put him down. Still, it was clear he won the round.
In the third, Stephens landed heavier shots, but Barao secured a takedown. He didn't hold Stephens down long, but because the strikes were close (20-17), it was easy to see how someone could score the round either way.
This was perhaps the biggest victory of Stephens' career. Barao is a former bantamweight champion and a huge name to have on his resume. Stephens might have positioned himself for a shot at the featherweight crown some time in the next year.
He lost to Max Holloway in his last fight, so Stephens will be behind him in line for a title shot. He'll also need to wait for the Conor McGregor-Frankie Edgar-Jose Aldo triangle to work itself out, but the victory over Barao puts him in an enviable position.
This was Barao's featherweight debut. He looked strong and fast in the first round, but he seemed to fade in the second. Conditioning was an issue at 135 pounds, so who knows what caused the drop in energy in this one?
In any case, he's lost three of his last four fights, and things aren't looking up.
Hare are the results for every fight on the card:
| Matchup | Weight Class | Result |
| Chris de la Rocha vs. Adam Milstead | Heavyweight | Milstead by TKO (Round 2, punches). |
| Aljamain Sterling vs. Bryan Caraway | Bantamweight | Carraway by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29). |
| Erik Koch vs. Shane Campbell | Lightweight | Koch by submission (Round 2, rear-naked choke). |
| Jake Collier vs. Alberto Uda | Middleweight | Collier by TKO (Round 2, spinning back kick). |
| Abel Trujillo vs. Jordan Rinaldi | Lightweight | Trujillo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). |
| Sara McMann vs. Jessica Eye | Women’s Bantamweight | McMann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). |
| Joshua Burkman vs. Paul Felder | Lightweight | Felder by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). |
| Jorge Masvidal vs. Lorenz Larkin | Welterweight | Larkin by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29). |
| Chris Camozzi vs. Vitor Miranda | Middleweight | Camozzi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). |
| Tarec Saffiedine vs. Rick Story | Welterweight | Story by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). |
| Renan Barao vs. Jeremy Stephens | Featherweight | Stephens by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). |
| Thomas Almeida vs. Cody Garbrandt | Bantamweight | Garbrandt by TKO (Round 1, punch). |
The Finishes
Milstead Batters De La Rocha
Fighters don't get paid by the hour, and both Adam Milstead and Chris de la Rocha were looking to have a short night.
The two heavyweights came out throwing bombs. Milstead got the better of all the exchanges in the first round. He wobbled de la Rocha with a right hand just behind the ear, but the rugged Californian withstood the shots to survive the first round.
De la Rocha's face was a sea of blood by the midway point of the second round. Milstead's right hand couldn't miss, and referee Chris Tognoni stopped the bout despite the fact that de la Rocha never dropped.
It was the right decision. De la Rocha had taken a ton of damage and he couldn't win the fight.
Koch Returns with Victory
Erik Koch hadn't fought in the Octagon since 2014, but he looked sharp in the opening Fox Sports 1 preliminary bout Sunday night. Koch didn't show any rust as he transitioned from striking to his underrated ground game.
In the second round, he lulled Campbell to sleep before sinking in the rear-naked choke to earn the finish.
It was a nice win, but Koch was once regarded as one of the top young featherweights in the world. He has a long way to go before he can regain that status, but this win was a step in the right direction.
Collier Shakes off Broken Nose to Stop Uda
Jake Collier is a tough dude. UFC newcomer Alberto Uda looked to have broken Collier's nose with a well-placed knee to the face in the first round. Collier was dazed, but Uda couldn't finish the determined American.
In the second round, Collier started to open his newly expanded tool chest of strikes. A spinning back fist and a variety of kicks seemed to freeze Uda.
Collier landed his own knee, and then a spinning back kick caught Uda in the stomach. Collier knew he'd hurt his opponent and closed the distance to throw more strikes. He unsheathed another spinning back kick that landed even more squarely than the first, and Uda folded like a set of bedsheets.
The bout was stopped, and Collier pulled off the come-from-behind victory.
