You’ll have to forgive No. 7-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight contender Thomas Almeida for feeling a little confident.
The Brazilian bomber has run his incredible win streak up to 21 (4-0 UFC) and will take to the Octagon for a fifth time against Team Alpha Male sensation Cody Garbrandt in his first main event at UFC Fight Night 88 inside Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 29, 2016.
Almeida — who boasts three straight knockout victories over Octagon foes like Anthony Birchak and Brad Pickett — gives his take on the upcoming collision with “No Love” to Combate (via Bloody Elbow):
“Garbrandt has really good boxing, he’s very aggressive, like myself. So I believe it will be the fight of the night. We will trade shots all night. I have to be prepared in case we go for five rounds, but I believe the fight will end sooner than that, since we are both so aggressive. I believe I will knock him out in the second round.”
The Chute Boxe representative is no stranger to unleashing fireworks, but Garbrandt is also known for being explosive every now and then. Two of Garbrandt’s three UFC wins have come via knockout, including his last piece of handiwork, which was a stunning first-round technical knockout (video) of late replacement Augusto Mendes.
Garbrandt was linked to a bout with another deadly Brazilian in John Lineker prior to the Mendes tilt last month, but “Hands of Stone” was taken off the card because he contracted Dengue Fever. While it would seem like the Ohio native might have unfinished business with Lineker, he actually stands to gain more from a win over a red-hot Top 10 fighter like Almeida.
“Thominhas” originally asked for three-time title challenger Urijah Faber back in Nov. 2015, but instead he was rewarded with “The California Kid’s” teammate, Garbrandt. Now heading into the second fight of a five-fight contract extension, does anyone think he continues to rise up the ranks at 135 pounds?
To see who else is fighting on the UFC Fight Night 88 card click here.