A consecutive trio of destructive finishes had established the 24-year-old bantamweight as one of the most promising young fighters in the promotion but that mantel will now be passed on to Garbrandt, who showed tidy boxing skills and serious killer instinct to dispatch of “Thominhas” in just under 3 minutes.
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He was clearly irritated that he wasn’t ranked prior to this fight, and noted that Almeida’s record was built on soft opponents. “I wasn’t even ranked in the Top 15”, Garbrandt said to Jon Anik after the bout. “But hey, can’t get some respect now?”
UFC Fight Night 88 will pit two undefeated titans against each other this Memorial Day weekend, and MMA fans can catch all the action with an online live stream.
Garbrandt knocked Almeida out with a brutal right cross that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. One more hammer fist for good measure and the fight was stopped as Garbrandt climbed the cage and celebrated his knockout victory over one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport.
Bryan Caraway used his veteran craft to overcome previously unbeaten New Yorker Aljamain Sterling in the main event of the exclusive Fight Pass card, earlier in the night. This is big for the bantamweight division.
Above are video highlights of the bout between Garbrandt and Almeida (courtesy of the UFC).
Garbrandt’s path to the title might go through former teammate TJ Dillashaw or title contenders like John Dodson or Michael McDonald.
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He’s crashed through the wall and now Garbrandt is a legitimate threat to anyone at 135 pounds – and that includes champion Dominick Cruz.
