LAS VEGAS – Thomas Almeida hasn't yet been in the UFC for two full years. Cody Garbrandt has only been on the roster for a little more than a year.
But there was nary an eyebrow raised when the two young, budding stars were paired in the main event of UFC Fight Night 88 on Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Both are potential bantamweight champions who have the ability to bring fans out of their seats at any moment. They’re a combined 29-0 with 23 knockouts and three submissions.
In boxing, fighters of this caliber and of this promise would almost never see each other until years down the line. But in MMA, it’s never an issue. If it makes a compelling fight, let’s do it.
The 24-year-old Garbrandt, who is 8-0 with seven knockouts, is excited that the UFC didn’t keep the two away from each other until it meant more.
“I’m super excited the UFC is having this fight now instead of prolonging it,” said Garbrandt, a member of the great Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male. “That’s a fight that has been on my radar for quite some time now. I remember him fighting his debut and I said, ‘Ah, I can’t wait to fight this cat.’ He has all this hype.
“Just by watching his movement and how he strikes, I’ll easily take him out.”
That’s saying a lot, not because of Almeida’s record of 21-0 with 19 finishes, but also because of whom he’s beaten. In his last three fights, he’s taken out Brad Pickett in the first; Yves Jabouin in the second and Anthony Birchak in the first.
The knockout of Birchak was sensational and was punctuated by a straight right that knocked Birchak cold.
Garbrandt, though, basically snorted when it was suggested Almeida’s power will be something he has to be concerned about.
Watching the fight, Garbrandt said his first thoughts were “awesome.”
“That’s what I want, to see someone who is going to fight and who has that sense of urgency to take someone out,” Garbrandt said. “He’s going out there to knock people out, and that’s the kind of fight that gets me the most motivated. The bigger the name, the bigger the show, the more the hype, the more I like it.
“I always say that when the lights are on, that’s when I shine the most. I rise to the occasion. I’m a gamer and I’ve always been a gamer. The UFC did what they wanted with me and to be honest, I had to wait it out. I was freshly new to the UFC and so I had to sit back and wait it out a bit. But this is the kind of fight I have wanted. I know I can knock out anyone in my division.”
It’s that ability that kept him from having to take on one of the hardest jobs one can do. The most common line of work where Garbrandt was raised in Ohio is coal mining.
It’s grueling, dangerous work, but there aren’t a lot of options for people in that area coming out of high school.
Garbrandt, a state wrestling champion as a freshman, had options only because he could fight.
He boxed and did some MMA, and not only had the aggressive temperament of an elite fighter, he had the power in his hands to go with it.
Almeida is ranked seventh – Garbrandt is unranked – and presents the kind of opponent Garbrandt has longed for.
He said he told matchmaker Sean Shelby when he signed with the UFC that he wanted a top-15 opponent within a year. He got it when he was supposed to fight John Lineker in February in Pittsburgh, but Lineker pulled out late because of Dengue fever.
Now, Almeida is his first ranked opponent, and he couldn’t be happier. And while many in the fight game rave about Almeida’s power, the competitor in Garbrandt can’t bring himself to praise it.
“Honestly, I don’t think he has power,” Garbrandt said of Almeida. “These guys he’s fighting, I mean, look at them. They go straight backward. They’re sitting ducks. Anybody can hit a sitting duck.
“He’s never been hit by a puncher like me. Yeah, he got Brad Pickett, but Pickett is small. He’s a [flyweight], but you saw, he brought the fight to Thomas and had Thomas hurt a couple of times. Thomas showed heart, but I’m no [flyweight].”
He grinned and shook his head, almost as if he were imagining the finish.
“When you’re fighting a fighter who has even a bigger heart than you, a greater will to win, more skills and who hits harder, it’s a totally different situation, man,” Garbrandt said. “I feel I’m a better martial artist and more well-rounded. He might have more fights on paper, and on paper, he’s 21-0 and hyped as this scary Brazilian knockout artist. But who has he fought?
“His biggest name is Brad Pickett, and I’m a big fan of Brad Pickett, but [Pickett’s] not the same guy we saw in the WEC. He’s past his prime, I guess you’d say. But Thomas is going to be surprised, because he’s fought all these guys who aren’t anywhere near the level I’m at. This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time because this is the big stage and I know that’s where I shine.”
