AS ONE HYPE train grinds to a halt, another clicks into gear.
Last night’s UFC Fight Night 88 event in Las Vegas was billed as a platform for three undefeated bantamweights to make a statement.
However, after Aljamain Sterling was dealt his first taste of defeat by crafty veteran Bryan Caraway, it was down to headliners Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt to stake the strongest claim for title contention in the 135lbs division.
As evidenced by the forecasts of the bookmakers and our readers here on The42 who contributed to our pre-fight poll, the majority of those with an interest in last night’s action at the Mandalay Bay fancied Almeida to advance his record to 22-0.
In many quarters, the unranked Garbrandt was dimissed as an extra in this celebration of booming bantamweights. The expectation was that Sterling and Almeida — ranked fourth and seventh respectively — would both continue their winning streaks, perhaps even setting up a number one contender bout between them for the next title shot.
But after Caraway showed that his days are far from done, Garbrandt took less than three minutes to let us know that while his 8-0 record lacked the same substance as Almeida’s, there was certainly no deficiency when it came to skillset.
Garbrandt dictated the pace from early on and displayed the type of hand-speed that has previously been a key to success for Almeida. Allied to his impressive power for a 135lber, the combination allowed Garbrandt to back the Brazilian up against the fence before he delivered a devastating right-cross to secure the stoppage at 2:53 of the first round.
Undefeated since making his professional debut in September 2011, 16 of Almeida’s 21 wins had come inside the first round. The 24-year-old was one of the UFC’s hottest prospects going into last night’s bout, but Garbrandt stopped his progress in spectacular fashion to give his own title aspirations a massive boost.
Having disposed of veterans like Brad Pickett and Yves Jabouin since entering the UFC, Almeida earned all the praise that was showered on him. It wasn’t a case that the Muay Thai specialist was over-rated, but perhaps that Garbrandt was under-appreciated.
As well as his little scuffle with Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter last year, Irish fans may remember Garbrandt’s — admittedly unremarkable — decision victory over Henry Briones at UFC 189 on the undercard of McGregor’s win against Chad Mendes.
Last night’s result took him to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. In the bantamweight division, only Raphael Assuncao (7) can boast of a longer run of victories. Garbrandt’s fourth win in the octagon matches the current streak of reigning champion Dominick Cruz.
While there certainly appears to be star potential with Garbrandt thanks to his extensive high school wrestling and amateur boxing background, another win or two will at least be required before his calls for a title shot become too loud to ignore. The likes of John Dodson, Michael McDonald and John Lineker might provide a suitable next challenge for the 24-year-old Ohio native.
These are interesting times for the bantamweight division. He’ll go into this Saturday night’s bout against Dominick Cruz at UFC 199 as a significant underdog, but if Urijah Faber — Garbrandt’s team-mate and mentor at Team Alpha Male — can pull off an upset, it could complicate the picture.
Last week, both Garbrandt and Faber insisted that a fight between the pair is out of the question. However, the same can’t be said of former Team Alpha Male product and recently-dethroned bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.
Both Garbrandt and Faber are keen to cross paths with their ex-team-mate after his controversial departure from the Sacramento camp last year. Dillashaw begins his journey back to title contention against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200 on 9 July.
“I feel that with a knockout win over Thomas Almeida, I deserve to get respect,” Garbrandt told FOX Sports. “I wasn’t even ranked in the top 15, but that’s fine. I had to fight a guy to earn my spot and that’s what I’m down to do. Whoever they want to give me next, that’s fine.”
Elsewhere at UFC Fight Night 88, life as a featherweight for former bantamweight champion Renan Barao began with a unanimous-decision loss to Jeremy Stephens in the co-headliner, while there were also big victories for Rick Story, Chris Camozzi, Lorenz Larkin, Paul Felder and Sara McMann on a 12-bout card which featured just four finishes.
UFC Fight Night 88 results
- Cody Garbrandt def. Thomas Almeida via KO (punches) after 2:53 of round one
- Jeremy Stephens def. Renan Barao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Rick Story def. Tarec Saffiedine via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Camozzi def. Vitor Miranda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Lorenz Larkin def. Jorge Masvidal via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Paul Felder def. Josh Burkman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sara McMann def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Abel Trujillo def. Jordan Rinaldi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jake Collier def. Alberto Uda via TKO (punches and spinning back-kick) after 1:06 of round two
- Erik Koch def. Shane Campbell via submission (rear-naked choke) after 3:02 of round two
- Bryan Caraway def. Aljamain Sterling via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Adam Milstead def. Chris De La Rocha via TKO (punches) 4:01 of round two
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
