One of the voices of the UFC was convinced that a new star had arrived on this day in 2016.
Jon Anik was joined by Brian Stann at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas for the UFC Fight Night 88 event which was headlined by a must-see bantamweight matchup.
At the time, the 135 pound division had only recently welcomed back Dominick Cruz, who defeated TJ Dillashaw in January to reclaim the gold.
With Cruz in need of new and exciting challengers, after he closed out his trilogy with Urijah Faber in dominant fashion, a new contender rose through the rankings.
Cody Garbrandt quickly became a star for the UFC but it was his performance in his first main event spotlight which showed that he could be something special.
Cody Garbrandt knocked out Thomas Almeida in a battle of two of the UFC’s most exciting rising stars
With a 100% finishing rate at 8-0, Cody Garbrandt had already emerged as a contender to keep an eye on after putting together a three-fight win streak inside the Octagon.
His first main event came on May 29 of 2016 where ‘No Love’ would enter the cage as the underdog, facing off with the #7-ranked contender.
Thomas Almeida, like Garbrandt, was also one to watch at just 24-years-old having gone 4-0 in the UFC with three consecutive knockout wins, including his classic fight with Brad Pickett at UFC 189.
Though Almeida fired back with some strong offense of his own, it was the slick boxing skills and devastating right hand of the American that was the story of the fight.
The Team Alpha Male fighter detonated a huge right hook to send the Brazilian to the canvas with ‘Big’ John McCarthy quickly waving the fight off.
When Jon Anik entered the Octagon to give Garbrandt his moment on the mic, he helped to set the tone for the contender’s rise by stating, “a superstar is born in Las Vegas tonight.”
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Cody Garbrandt vs Thomas Almeida proved to be a crossroads fight at the time
While one man had to lose their undefeated record in the main event, both Cody Garbrandt and Thomas Almeida were still two very exciting contenders in the bantamweight division.
However, the matchup ended up being a bit of a crossroads matchup in their careers with ‘No Love’ going on to win the bantamweight title later that year.
Almeida, on the other hand, would only ever win one more fight in the UFC, having bounced back with a victory over Albert Morales.
The Brazilian would go on to lose four in a row before departing the promotion following his defeat to Sean O’Malley at UFC 260.