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Cody Garbrandt Knocks Out Thomas Almeida In Brutal Fashion

Two of MMA’s hottest young prospects met in a bout sure to produce fireworks (and a future title contender) when Thomas Almeida faced off with Cody Garbrandt in the main event of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The heavily-hyped Brazilian Almeida brought

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The heavily-hyped Brazilian Almeida brought a gaudy 21-0 record into the bout, with three straight TKO wins over Anthony Birchak, Brad Pickett, and Yves Jabouin after winning his UFC debut by decision. The flashy 8-0 Garbrandt had made possibly more headlines with relationship with Paige VanZant and his trash talk than his fighting skills, but the boxing prowess of the Team Alpha Male fighter most definitely made “No Love” one of the best up-and-coming stars in the highly talented 135-pound landscape.

Garbrandt most recently finished late replacement Augusto Mendes at February’s UFC Fight Night 83 after winning a decision against Henry Briones and beating Marcus Brimage via TKO.

The winner would most likely cement themselves as either the next bantamweight title challenger to the winner of June 4’s Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber championship match-up, or find themselves in a title eliminator bout. The stakes were high in Las Vegas, and Garbrandt won a huge jackpot when the cards were all out on UFC Fight Night 88.

The hyped bout began with Garbrandt throwing a wild kick that missed. He landed a low kick and pushed the action, but Almeida scored with a sharp counter. Garbrandt threw a flying knee but missed, but landed a right hand behind it. He followed with another one-two and a three-strike combo. Almeida scored with a big right, but Garbrandt snapped another combo. Then he rocked Almeida with a big combo, following with a one-two. More shots scored from Garbrandt and Almeida was in big trouble.

An absolutely huge right hand came from Garbrandt, and Almeida was down for the count as John McCarthy stopped the fight.

Final Result: Cody Garbrandt def. Thomas Almeida via R1 KO (punch)

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Jeremy Stephens Spoils Renan Barao’s Featherweight Debut

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao had no easy task when he moved up to featherweight to face Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Barao hadn’t fought since losing a failed bid for the title in

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Barao hadn’t fought since losing a failed bid for the title in his rematch with TJ Dillashaw at last July’s UFC on FOX 16. Stephens, meanwhile, dropped a decision to surging contender Max Holloway in his last contest at UFC 194 after emphatically finishing Dennis Bermudez in highlight reel fashion at UFC 189. Overall, “Lil’ Heathen” had his back against the wall with losses in three of his prior four bouts.

It was a statement fight for both, and it began with Barao landing an inside leg kick followed by a high kick. Stephens came back with some stinging low kicks in response. Barao snapped a strong two-punch combination, scoring with another after grabbing a Stephens kick. Stephens countered with a one-two combo, and Barao landed a huge right hand in a scramble. “The Baron” opened up with punches and kicks, causing Stephens to swing and miss widely.

Barao shot for a takedown that Stephens defended initially, and Barao clinched to land some knees to the legs. Stephens broke free and ate another shot, clinching on the fence. Both unleashed big shots in an exciting exchange, with Barao going for his spinning back kick to the body. Barao was deep on a takedown that didn’t materialize as the bell sounded on the first frame.

Barao came out with a low kick to start the second, and Stephens landed a solid right hand. Barao missed another takedown and Stpehens pooped a jab, but Barao landed a few solid shots. All of the sudden Stephens exploded with huge uppercuts, wobbling Barao again and again. Barao somehow landed a knee, but Stephens hit him with one more big shot. Stephens clinched on the cage but Barao broke to throw a spinning back kick that partially landed. A stiff right and a singing left came from Stephens, and Barao finally secured his first takedown. Stephens got back up to end the second frame.

The fight started slow in the third, with Stephens missing to leave an opening for some brief shots from Barao. Stephens landed a hard body shot and Barao a straight before clinching, but Stephens again stayed upright. A slugfest ensued with Barao landing some good shots. The fighters smiled at one another a they flung shots, and Barao was able to take Stephens to the mat.

He secured it to ground Stephens, looking to take his back. But “Lil’ Heathen” got out, and scored with another one of his vaunted uppercuts. Barao landed a combo, but Stephens responded with uppercuts and a big right hand. Barao scored a hard left hook and the fight was wild as the final bound sounded on a close and exciting affair.

Ultimately Stephens took home a unanimous decision with a 29-28 score on all three judges’ cards.

Final Result: Jeremy Stephens def. Renan Barao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Rick Story Returns With Hard-Fought Win Over Tarec Saffiedine

Welterweight veterans Tarec Saffiedine and Rick Story met p on the main card of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Saffiedine won a decision over Jake Ellenberger in his most recent fight at UFC on FOX 8 in January, his first bout since

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Welterweight veterans Tarec Saffiedine and Rick Story met p on the main card of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Saffiedine won a decision over Jake Ellenberger in his most recent fight at UFC on FOX 8 in January, his first bout since an October 2014 loss to former title challenger Rory MacDonald due to a bout with injuries. Longtime veteran Story had also been on the bench for an extended period of time, as he was last seen winning a split decision over Gunnar Nelson at October 2014’s UFC Fight Night 53 from Stockholm, Sweden.

Saffiedine was also nearly pulled from this bout after suffering a cut on his knee in training, but was later cleared to compete. Both fighters needed a win to keep rising in the dangerous UFC welterweight waters.

Story came out with a hard low kick early, following up with another in a first minute that was low on action. Story then landed a few hooks in close, and Saffiedine landed a kick to the body and a punch. Story went for a takedown and clinched on the fence, but Saffiedine broke to land a nice head kick. Story pushed forward with a combo and landed two more big hooks before attempting another unsuccessful takedown. Saffiedine’s cut was bleeding rather heavily as Story clinched to rip his body to wind down the first.

Story came out with his low kick and follow-up punches in the second, with Saffiedine landing a grazing head kick. A checked low kick saw Story fall to the mat but couldn’t be held down. Story landed a big hook as Saffiedine lunged for a takedown, and “The Horror” controlled “Sponge” in the clinch once again. He worked the body but ate a knee to the body. It didn’t effect Story much, however, as he kept grinding away with ripping body punches and a grueling clinch. A separation saw Saffiedine land two more glancing high kicks, and the round wound down in the clinch.

In the final round, Story came out aggressive as usual, ripping Saffiedine’s midsection with hard punches again. He continued his grinding, grueling clinch work to stop Saffiedine’s vaunted kickboxing game with takedown attempts and knees, landing a heavy hook on a break. “Sponge” did land a hard right and another head kick, yet Story walked through it to strike more. Big punches landed from both fighters as Story lunged forward to clinch again as the bell rang.

Story took home a strong unanimous decision to win his first UFC match in a year-and-a-half.

Final Result: Rick Story def. Tarec Saffiedine via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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Paul Felder Outlasts Josh Burkman To Kick Off UFC Fight Night 88

Lightweights Josh Burkman and Paul Felder kicked off the main card of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Burkman was looking to build a win streak after perhaps saving his career with a win over K.J. Noons in his lightweight debut after fighting

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Lightweights Josh Burkman and Paul Felder kicked off the main card of tonight’s (Sun., May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Burkman was looking to build a win streak after perhaps saving his career with a win over K.J. Noons in his lightweight debut after fighting most of his career at welterweight, while Felder was looking for one of his own after submitting Daron Cruickshank at UFC Fight Night 81 in January.

The fight started with Burkman using kicks to feel his range. Felder stayed aggressive and landed a hard body kick and the two clashed in a brief exchange. Burkman landed to the body twice, staying just out of the way of Felder’s pressure. “The Irish Dragon” threw a jumping front kick, but Burkman blocked it and unloaded a good combo. Felder went back to the jumping kick and Burkman countered with big punches before it became a wild firefight with Burkman getting the better of it.

Burkman found pause with a takedown, controlling the action from side control momentarily before the two got back to their feet. A brief Burkman takedown lead to him riding out a good opening round in the clinch on the fence.

The second round featured a sharp leg kick from Felder, who kept pressuring Burkman with low kicks. Burkman landed a solid combo, only to eat a knee to the body and return fire with a right hook. Felder landed a kick to the body off a Burkman spinning backfist attempt, and “The Irish Dragon” landed some elbows in the clinch. Two heavy punches landed from Felder. He followed with a heavy combination that was thwarted by another Burkman clinch. Felder reversed position and took Burkman’s back in a good bounceback round for him.

The third round saw more heavy pressure from Felder with a body kick followed by a leg kick. Felder landed a huge spinning back kick to Burkman’s body that actually lifted him off the ground and onto the mat briefly. Burkman slowed and Felder landed more kicks. Slowly losing the stand-up, Burkman threw a two-punch combo and went for a takedown he eventually got, but Felder got right back up. A back and forth clinch where Felder cut Burkman with some solid elbows went until the last 30 seconds or so, and Burkman got a vital late takedown after a restart.

In the end, Felder took home a unanimous decision by scoring 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards on the heels of his constant forward momentum.

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UFC Fight Night 88 Predictions: A New Contender Will Emerge

Thomas Almeida vs. Cody Garbrandt: Mike Drahota: I found it a bit surprising that the UFC was willing to book two of the suddenly booming bantamweight division’s up-and-coming talents against one another so soon, but they are most certainly two of the most exciting strikers at 135 pounds, so that dynamic should be a recipe

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Thomas Almeida vs. Cody Garbrandt:

Mike Drahota:

I found it a bit surprising that the UFC was willing to book two of the suddenly booming bantamweight division’s up-and-coming talents against one another so soon, but they are most certainly two of the most exciting strikers at 135 pounds, so that dynamic should be a recipe for Memorial Day fireworks in Las Vegas. I believe it will become a slugfest rather rapidly thanks in no small part to the bad blood spoken in the media and from the fight week hotel confrontation between Garbrandt and Almeida’s team, so this is going to come down to Almeida’s Muay Thai and Garbrandt’s boxing. While the undefeated Brazilian sensation did get caught by veteran Brad Pickett at UFC 189 last July, I believe he simply has more ways to win with elbows, kicks, and knees while also having more experience (even if it is against “cab drivers” like “No Love” said). It should be a back-and-forth fight, and Garbrandt could obviously catch him with a big shot that ends the bout, but I’m going with Almeida by third-round TKO.

Rory Kernaghan:

Thomas Almeida comes in to this fight undefeated at 21-0, off the back of three straight knockouts from four UFC wins, and possibly the toughest fight of his career against Brad Pickett. This is where the difference will be made against the harsh striker Cody Garbrandt, because aside from experience and having dug to the limit more times, there’s not really much to separate these two. I also feel that ‘Terminator’ has a little more variety in his attacks than ‘No Love,’ although Garbrandt’s patented Team Alpha Male style footwork is a sight to behold. Expect a war, won by Almeida by TKO in round three.

Mike Henken:

I have to say that I’m extremely excited for this scrap, as two of the division’s best undefeated rising contenders will do battle to prove who truly belongs in the title discussion. The 24-year-old Garbrandt has established himself as a legitimate fighter with great speed and strong knockout power as shown in his last bout, but he’ll be facing off with a scary, scary man in Almeida. The Brazilian packs a 21-0 professional record with an impressive 16 knockouts. I just feel as if his arsenal will be too much for “No Love.” Almeida by third round knockout.

Renan Barao vs. Jeremy Stephens:

Mike Drahota:

On paper this is an incredibly tough test in a move up a weight class for formerly dominant bantamweight champion Barao, who hasn’t looked anything close to his once-cowering form since TJ Dillashaw shockingly dethroned him in devastating fashion at UFC 173 two years ago. Although Stephens has shown bouts of inconsistency mixed with bouts of brilliance, his last loss to Max Holloway came to a potential future title contender at featherweight. Barao has obviously yet to attain that after admitting the cut down to 15 pounds was simply too much anymore, and this fight could be a rude awakening for him. Stephens is a power-punching brawler with great takedown defense, and Barao has exhibited a concerning tendency to stand still and eat punches later. Up at 145 against a knockout specialist by the highly experienced Stephens, I don’t believe that will end well for him. Stephens stops Barao by TKO in the first round.

Rory Kernaghan:

Former champion Barao faces frequent underdog Stephens in a battle of heavy hitters. The former bantamweight champion has a tough debut at featherweight against Stephens, who has a habit of knocking people silly when it’s against the odds. Where this fight is won is anyone’s guess, mine is that Barao is getting upset here. I think Stephens clips ‘Baron’ early on and continue the run of bad luck befalling the Brazilian Nova Uniao camp. Jeremy Stephens upsets the former champion by one-punch knockout in round one.

Mike Henken:

The former bantamweight champion Barao will be moving up to his new home at 145 pounds for the first time, and he won’t be given a tune-up fight in any way. Stephens is a very experienced and gritty veteran who possesses brutal knockout power and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. However, I feel as if “The Baron’s” combination of championship caliber Muay Thai and submission skills will get the job done. I also think the easier weight cut will play a factor here. Barao by unanimous decision.

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Rising UFC Star: Boxing Beats Muay Thai Every Time

Heading into the biggest fight of his MMA career when he takes on fellow rising prospect Thomas Almeida in the main event of this Sunday night’s (May 29, 2016) UFC Fight Night 88 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, bantamweight knockout artist Cody Garbrandt has had a surprisingly distraction-free training camp. In

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In a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Garbrandt said that while the drama of the departures of former UFC champ TJ Dillashaw and longtime team mainstay Joseph Benavidez had previously thrown a wrench into his preparation, that hasn’t been the case for his pivotal showdown with Almeida this weekend:

“I wish there was more drama. I always felt like when I’m invested in ways or put in situations where I have to overcome a lot of adversity going into fights. This is the first time where I’m just training and that’s it. Nothing really gets in my mind, and nothing blocks my focus from what I have to do when the fight comes on that day when I step in the octagon.

“It doesn’t really bother me if there’s drama with the team or if people believe in something or talk (expletive) about the team. I don’t let it enter my training or my thought process. When I leave the gym, I don’t think about fighting. I think about being with my family and other things from just fighting. That’s why I can stay in my own lane with stuff like that. I think about what I cherish the most. That drama is a small percentage of my life.”

With the beef between Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male founder Urijah Faber obviously the biggest story from the Sacramento-based camp over the past year, it would seem that Garbrandt has been able to rise above (despite some measured outbursts at Dillashaw in the media) and focus on the fight ahead.

That’s probably a good thing, as the 20-0 Almeida is rightfully regarded as the future of the suddenly burgeoning 135-pound landscape, something that will be all but confirmed if he can hand the 8-0 Garbrandt his first-ever professional loss on Sunday.

But Garbrandt obviously doesn’t see that happening, and he has a very specific reason why. Read on to the next page to find out why Garbrandt said his style beats Almeida’s everyday…

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