Cody Garbrandt GOT HIM. Down goes Thomas Almeida in the first!#UFCVegas https://t.co/Qiu0RnA8px
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) May 30, 2016
After seven (7!!!) decisions in a row, we were due for explosions in Las Vegas at UFC Fight Night 88. It was a perfect example of the stars aligning. We just knew we’d have fireworks with Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt in the cage; it was inevitable. It was perfect. And the fight wasn’t lacking drama. Almeida was undefeated at 21-0, with 16 knockouts to his name. Garbrandt was walking into the Octagon undefeated at 8-0, with seven knockouts. The math led to a dangerous equation, and analogies were the only way to explain how hard-hitting this fight would be. And it was hard-hitting. It was so hard-hitting.
But despite the danger Almeida posed Cody Garbrandt stalked down the Brazilian and put his fists all over his face, dispatching the extremely-skilled Almeida in just over two minutes. He made it look easy. This is big for the bantamweight division. Garbrandt is a killer. Everyone is on notice.
https://twitter.com/MacLethal/status/737135521294471168
Great KO by Cody, statement win. Damn. #UFCVegas #MDW2016 🇺🇸👊🏼
— Gojević (@gojevic) May 30, 2016
That windup of the right hook… Cody Garbrandt put his whole body into that punch. Could have knocked out anyone at 135 or 145 #ufcvegas
— Josh Perry (@JoshJPerry) May 30, 2016
After a whole fight card of decisions, we get a KO in the main event. Still a great fight card on free TV #UFCVegas.
— Marquis Munson (@MarquisWNXP) May 30, 2016
So where does Garbrandt go from here? He clearly has a chip on his shoulder for not even being ranked in the top 15 of bantamweights, and Almeida was ranked #7, so Garbrandt could be looking at a lot of interesting fights. Bryan Caraway or John Dodson works for me.