Issue 138

February 2016

Bonus check KO king Thomas Almeida excels at knocking his rivals unconscious. Here, according to the man himself, are his greatest hits so far.

1. One hitter quitter – Cody Williams, Legacy FC 15 (11/16/12)

After dispatching seven opponents in the first round back in Brazil, ‘Thominhas’ truly announced himself as one to watch when he debuted in America in Houston, Texas’ Legacy Fighting Championship. The youngster patiently defended against the attack from his opponent and began to establish his offense before slipping a wild right uppercut and landing a perfectly placed right elbow that stretched Williams across the canvas.

“He was so strong and compact, I had to take my time and pick my shots,” Almeida recalls. “I didn’t want to get caught with anything wild. I felt three or four shots real clean, but I got my focus quick, snapped back into it and got back in the fight.”

Matchmakers’ attention had been captured. They’d have keen eyes on this young man in the years to come.

2. Punches in bunches – Valdines Silva, MMA Super Heroes 1 (07/13/13)

Eight months later Almeida was back in Brazil in his home state of Sao Paulo to show the lethal combination striking that makes him a truly terrifying proposition on his feet. Many of his previous wins, including his US debut, had shown he was capable of the type of one-hit blow that could instantly crumble opponents, but on this occasion, it was time to show off his best example yet of pouring on offense to overwhelm an opponent and find a finish.

The Chute Boxe prodigy landed 29 unanswered blows that began with a flurry of punches and ended with a devastating knee that dropped his fellow countryman to the canvas, and that was quicky followed by a climax of unstoppable ground ’n’ pound. The Almeida KO train was showing no signs of slowing down.

3. Out of nowhere – Brad Pickett, UFC 189 (07/11/15)

Almeida had never faced more adversity than he did in this fight – his third in the UFC. Pickett dropped him twice, bloodied him up and broke his nose – all in the first round. To remain undefeated, the boy from Brazil needed to produce something sensational, and he obliged at the start of the second stanza by delivering a flying knee to the Brit’s face to end the fight instantly. 

“Brad Pickett is a very tough guy,” Almeida offered afterwards. “He’s got heavy hands and I took a little bit of time to get into the fight, but I knew once I did I would knock him out. I studied his game plan and saw I could land that (knee) any time.”

As well as a third consecutive $50,000 performance bonus, Almeida earned the respect of arguably the most well-known knockout artist of all time, Mike Tyson. “I watched his fights as a kid and to be here in Vegas fighting in front of him and take a picture with him – knowing he’s talking about my fight – that’s wonderful,” ‘The Terminator’ added. 

4. Surgical strike – Caio Machado, Legacy FC 32 (06/20/15)

After 15 fights, 15 wins and 15 finishes in a two-and-a-half-year carer, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby was interested in young Almeida. The final test before he got the call to the Octagon was a fellow undefeated Brazilian. But Caio Machado was dispatched easily, courtesy of some brutally clinical striking in the Legacy cage.

The writing was on the wall long before the referee was called in at 4:17 of round one as Almeida landed punches, knees and kicks at will. But the finish itself came in an instant when a straight right hand set up a precise liver shot that curled Machado up into a ball of agony as his assailant celebrated. Next stop: the Octagon.

5. Homecoming – Anthony Birchak, UFC Fight Night 77 (11/07/15)

About 400 friends, family and training partners, all sporting T-shirts and flags emblazoned with the logo of Almeida’s gym – Chute Boxe Diego Lima – descended on the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Almeida’s entry into the UFC. 

With their support, as well as 10,000 other Brazilian fans, the rising star of the 135lb division scored his most emphatic Octagon victory yet. Once he had Birchak hurt, he swarmed on him, lit him up with pinpoint punches and folded ‘El Toro’ up against the fence like an origami bull. 

“It was great to feel the crowd’s energy,” says Almeida, who improved his record to 16 KOs in 20 wins. “I’d already fought in Brazil (for the UFC), but being home was completely different. 

“Obviously, in there you can’t hear much, because we were focused on the fight, but the magical atmosphere I felt at the time I entered (the arena) was an extra motivational factor. I closed the year with a flourish, struggling for my friends and family. It was great.”

Finish him! Decision win – no big thing

In his 20 pro MMA fights, Almeida has only been taken to the judges’ scorecards once: his UFC debut against Tim Gorman. But the 24-year-old sees the positives from that sole 15-minute venture.

“It was very good for my career,” he says. “For me to be able to see I’m able to be in there. I’m very well prepared to fight three rounds with the same intensity. It’s the result of good work with my team. I wanted to knock Gorman out, as I always do, but he’s a very tough guy.

“I feel more experienced having taken this fight to the third round – taking punches, giving punches and all the adversities. But it’s a lot of work, a lot of training, a lot of experience. 

“I’m very young, I want to always look to show the world who Thomas Almeida is.”

Who’s next? Time for title ambitions

After a flawless 4-0 start to his UFC career, Almeida now finds himself ranked sixth in the UFC’s burgeoning bantamweight division. He has expressed interest in fighting divisional mainstay Urijah Faber, but, ultimately, as long as his stock continues heading in the same direction his opponent is academic.

“Everything is working out,” he says. “This is many years of work. I’m a UFC employee. Whoever they put in front of me I’m going to work hard, do my best and look for a victory as always.”

“I’m very happy to show my work and my team’s work. I’m very fulfilled, but I want more. I want more challenges, I want to grow in the event and I’m going to go after my dream, which is to have the belt and defend the title for a very long time. I’m young, I have my mind in the right place, I’m focused and I’m very happy.”