Thomas Almeida was hoping to fight for the Legacy Fighting Championship title in his next fight, but he will have to enter the cage once more time before he has that chance.
Legacy FC owner Mick Maynard told MMAFighting.com that Almeida has signed a new deal with the promotion and will headline Legacy FC 32 card in a title eliminator bout with Aaron Phillips. Legacy FC takes place in Shreveport, La., on June 20.
The winner of Almeida vs. Phillips will earn a shot at the bantamweight against current champion Matt Hobar.
One of the best Brazilian prospects in MMA today, Almeida (16-0) needed one round to stop George Pacurariu in his Legacy FC debut in December. He hasn’t competed in the promotion again, but returned to the cage with a fourth-round TKO win over Vinicius Zani in Brazil. Almeida has 16 finishes in his professional career, 14 of them in the first round.
Also unbeaten in professional MMA, Phillips (5-0) makes his Legacy FC debut four months after scoring his fifth win with a split decision over Tyler Shinn. Prior to another decision win, Phillips has three first-round knockout finishes in regional promotions.