Thomas Almeida surprised by Tim Gorman’s chin after three-round battle at UFC Fight Night 56

UBERLANDIA, Brazil — Thomas Almeida proved to be worth the hype in his UFC debut.

The Chute Boxe prospect, who entered the UFC with a 17-0 record with 17 finishes, went the distance for the first time in his professional career, dominating Tim Gorman to win via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 56 in Uberlandia, Brazil, on Nov. 8.

“I wanted to feel his pressure, his movements, and unleash my muay thai,” Almeida told the media after his dominant performance. “It was a great test for me, I could prove I have a good cardio.”

Almeida got the win and proved he can fight three rounds, but wasn’t expecting Gorman to have such a hard chin.

“I thought he would go down faster but he handled pretty well,” he said. “He was rocked a couple times and I thought ‘yeah, I’m knocking him out now,’ but he survived and I had to work until the final round.”

At 18-0, the bantamweight prospect doesn’t want a fast track to the top.

“No rush. Let me work, fight, and we’ll go from there. I want to gain experience, step by step,” Almeida said. “I would like to fight again in May. I heard they might do a UFC show in Sao Paulo in May, at Palmeiras’ soccer stadium, and I would love to be on that card.”

UBERLANDIA, Brazil — Thomas Almeida proved to be worth the hype in his UFC debut.

The Chute Boxe prospect, who entered the UFC with a 17-0 record with 17 finishes, went the distance for the first time in his professional career, dominating Tim Gorman to win via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 56 in Uberlandia, Brazil, on Nov. 8.

“I wanted to feel his pressure, his movements, and unleash my muay thai,” Almeida told the media after his dominant performance. “It was a great test for me, I could prove I have a good cardio.”

Almeida got the win and proved he can fight three rounds, but wasn’t expecting Gorman to have such a hard chin.

“I thought he would go down faster but he handled pretty well,” he said. “He was rocked a couple times and I thought ‘yeah, I’m knocking him out now,’ but he survived and I had to work until the final round.”

At 18-0, the bantamweight prospect doesn’t want a fast track to the top.

“No rush. Let me work, fight, and we’ll go from there. I want to gain experience, step by step,” Almeida said. “I would like to fight again in May. I heard they might do a UFC show in Sao Paulo in May, at Palmeiras’ soccer stadium, and I would love to be on that card.”