A major bantamweight fight will take a five round main event spot this May, with MMAJunkie.com’s John Morgan reporting on Twitter that Cody Garbrandt will take on Thomas Almeida on May 29.
Per the report, that UFC Fight Night event is expected to take place in Las Vegas, and it would likely air on Fox Sports 1.
Garbrandt was slated to face John Lineker in his last fight at UFC Fight Night 83, but Lineker was forced out after coming down with Dengue fever. Garbrandt instead took out replacement Augusto Mendes to move to 8-0 on his career.
The UFC had been looking at re-booking the fight with Lineker, but instead it will come against Almeida, another undefeated competitor rising fast up the bantamweight ranks. The 24-year-old Brazilian holds a 20-0 record into this event, which includes three straight highlight-reel (T)KO wins in the Octagon.
Penick’s Analysis: I like this fight a lot, although it feels like a significant step up for Garbrandt that he may not be quite ready for. Almeida’s been excellent thus far, and this is a lateral move for him as far as further progression. Still, it’s a really exciting matchup between a couple of really talented young fighters, and will push the winner into the top ten mix in the division.
[Photo (c) David Dermer via USA Today Sports]
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