UFC 250 free fight: Cody Garbrandt bounces Thomas Almeida from ranks of unbeaten

In a matchup between two undefeated bantamweight prospects, betting underdog Cody Garbrandt prevailed to push himself one step closer to UFC gold.

In May 2016, Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) faced Thomas Almeida in the main event of UFC Fight Night 88 looking to emerge as a contender in the 135-pound division.

With both men having only gone the distance once each in their respective careers, a finish seemed inevitable, and Garbrandt started out fast in a bid to make sure he ended up on the right side of the stoppage. “No Love” was the aggressor early as he opened up with a few kicks before charging forward with a rapid-fire combination.

Garbrandt continued to show off his hand speed while Almeida looked to catch the American as he blitzed in, but Garbrandt’s movement helped keep him out of danger from the Brazilian’s counters. Then, two minutes into Round 1, Garbrandt stunned Almeida with a left hook as he made the first big breakthrough of the fight.

Almeida returned fire, but Garbrandt answered with a perfectly-placed right hand that dropped the Brazilian, and the fight was stopped moments later to give the Team Alpha Male athlete a statement victory.

Garbrandt subsequently went on to knock Takeya Mizugaki out in just 48 seconds to earn a title shot against then UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz.

Garbrandt took his chance as he produced a masterclass of footwork and movement to drop and hurt Cruz on multiple occasions en route to a five-round decision win as he captured the title to become one of the UFC’s newest stars.

However, Garbrandt was unable to capitalize on his title win as he lost his next three fights – twice to T.J. Dillashaw then, in his most recent outing, to Pedro Munhoz. Garbrandt returns to action at UFC 250, where he will look to snap his losing streak against perennial contender Raphael Assuncao in the night’s co-main event.

UFC 250 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Before he faces Assuncao, relive Garbrandt’s knockout over Almeida in the video above.