Saul Almeida wants to put early stop to 'kill or die' battle against Josh LaBerge at CES MMA 42

Saul Almeida has known some extremes throughout his career.

Back in April of 2015, when a successful WSOF debut capped off a five-fight victorious streak, Almeida (18-7) was certainly at a high. And then, seven months later, Almeida experienced a first-round submission kick off the three-fight skid he carries into Friday’s CES MMA 42 matchup against Josh LaBerge (11-5).

This is not uncharted territory for the 27-year-old, who saw a 13-1 start to his pro career snapped by a three-fight skid not so long ago. He got through it then. And, with two of his recent losses stemming from close split calls, he’s driven to do it once again now.

“It’s a difficult period I’m going through,” Almeida told MMAjunkie ahead of Friday’s CES event, which takes place at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., and can be seen on AXS TV. “But I’ve been there before, and I’m going to overcome this, no doubt. I should have won the last two fights, which would have put me on a streak of seven victories in eight fights.

“But unfortunately, some judges’ opinions differ from ours, and we have to end up accepting it. The focus now is to be more aggressive and do everything not to rely on the judges going forward.”

His willingness to keep his head high through the rough patch is a reflection of his competitor’s mindset and overall approach to losing.

“I’ve always enjoyed competing, no matter what,” Almeida said. “I always like to test my abilities against other opponents. If I win a fight, I want to go back right away to win another. And if I don’t win, I want to fight to erase my last defeat. Several fighters, when they have a loss, give up or have no motivation to continue. I’m not like that.

“But I know that this next MMA fight has a lot at stake, and I need to win if I want to keep going where I want to go.”

In order to find redemption, Almeida intends to not only snap LaBerge’s two-fight streak but do it impressively. And, as a Bellator and WSOF veteran who’s always searched for the “contracts that will benefit” him, Almeida now has his long-term sights set on another stage.

“I’m going to chase after him,” Almeida said. “It’s kill or die. I want to get an early finish, so people can see I’m a different and more aggressive fighter. After this fight, I think of running after the CES belt.

“My goal will always be the UFC, and I’ll do everything I can to get there. I just need to put together a win streak, starting with this next fight.”

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