UFC Fight Night 88 results: Cody Garbrandt knocks out Thomas Almeida in first round to maintain unbeaten run
Garbrandt lights up a slow night of action and KOs Almeida in round one of the main event
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The Mandalay Bay in Las, Nevada was the site for UFC Fight Night 88 and after a relatively lacklustre evening that included seven fights going to the scorecards, Cody Garbrandt knocked out Thomas Almeida in the first round of the main event to give the crowd in attendance and those watching around the world at least one lasting memory.
Garbrandt finishes Almeida in under three minutes
In a fight totally unbefitting of the rest of the card, American Cody Garbrandt ended Thomas Almeida's unbeaten run of twenty-one fights and recorded the biggest win of his career to date.
The fight lasted all of two minutes and fifty-three seconds as both fighters opened slowly as they circled their opponent looking for an opening. Garbrandt took the initiative though and landed a right hook and uppercut that put Almeida straight away on the back foot.
With his confidence growing, Garbrandt then jabbed his way into range and pushed the Brazilian's back to the cage. From there 'No Love' unleashed a devastating right hand that connected flush on the temple of Almeida who crumpled face first into the mat. Garbrandt followed him down to the canvas but before he could land more than a single hammer fist the referee pulled him away and ended the fight.
Garbrandt then celebrated widely on top of the cage soaking in the glory of the biggest win of his career. In his interview in the Octagon after the fight, 'No Love' said "Hey, can I get some respect now? I'm not even in the top 15?" That will likely change on Monday when the new rankings are announced.
Stephens outlasts Barao in featherweight barnburner
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao made his debut at featherweight taking on top ten contender Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event of the evening. Barao started out the fight well and used his superior movement and speed to dodge Stephen's wild punches and pick him off with stinging counter shots.
Round two saw the fight turn on its head though as Stephens' previously wild winging punches started to find their mark and he connected with a flurry of hooks and uppercuts that Barao did well to walk through. Having only just survived the round, Barao was up against it in the third but it rallied to clinch Stephens up against the fence and attempt the takedown. At this point though the Brazilian was noticeably drained and failed to complete to get his opponent to the mat. Stephens scrambled out well and then proceeded to unload further strikes onto a back-pedalling Barao for the final ninety seconds.
Both men deserved to see the finish but it was Stephens who took the unanimous decision 29-28 on all three scorecards.
Larkin does enough to narrowly beat Masvidal
In lightweight action, Lorenz Larkin picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Jore Masvidal via a split decision. The first round went Larkin who landed the crisper, cleaner strikes though he was lucky not to get a point taken away for a brutal eye poke that saw the fight paused for several minutes while Masvidal recovered.
The second round also went to Larkin who again landed the more accurate precise shots of the two. Larkin also scored a takedown but could do little with the position before the round ended. With Masvidal down 2-0 heading into round three, he noticeably stepped up his game and looked for the finish.
Masvidal's brightest moment came halfway through the third as scored a takedown and actively looked to take the back to find a position from which to get the submission. Larkin intelligently scrambled though and managed to escape back to the feet to see out the five minutes. With the fight as close as it was it was no surprise to see a split decision. The judges eventually handed it to Larkin 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Paul Felder edges out Josh Burkman via decision
Paul 'The Irish Dragon' Felder has a reputation for putting on lively action-packed fights and his bout with Josh Burkman last evening certainly didn't break the mould. Round one started with a feeling out process but before the long the two stood toe-to-toe and duked it out exchanging hands in the pocket for a good ten seconds. Before the round was out, Burkman nicked the round with a sharp takedown but it was very tight that aside.
Round two saw Felder take the initiative as he clearly outstruck Burkman and made him pay with some powerful counter punches after evading his own attacks. With it level going into round three, Felder continued his good work from round two and continued to land the crisper, more powerful shots throughout the last five minutes. When it was all said and done, the judges rightfully handed the decision to Felder 29-28 on all the scorecards.
Caraway halts the Sterling hype train
After signing a new UFC contract and receiving plenty of media attention during fight week, all that was left for Aljamain Sterling to do last evening was pick up the victory and continue his rise to the top of the bantamweight division. Unfortunately for Sterling, in his way was the wily veteran Bryan Caraway and after coming through a tough first round, Caraway fought back in round two and three to take a split decision on the scorecards.
Sterling started the fight well in round one and could have arguably picked up a 10-8 round on the cards with his multiple submission attempts and relentless ground pressure. In round two though the tide changed significantly as Caraway got the takedown himself and from there controlled the action out to easily take the round. The final five minutes was almost a repeat of the second as Caraway secured a single leg takedown early. From there, Caraway controlled the round again and Sterling simply had no answer to Caraway's relentless pressure. Some media scored the fight a 28-28 draw but the judges saw it differently and handed the split decision to Caraway 29-28, 28-29, 29-8.
UFC Fight Night 88 Full Results
Main Card
Cody Garbrandt def. Thomas Almeida by knockout (punches) - Round 1, 2:53
Jeremy Stephens def. Renan Barao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rick Story def. Tarec Saffiedine unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Chris Camozzi def. Vitor Miranda by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lorenz Larkin def. Jorge Masvidal via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Paul Felder def. Josh Burkman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Sara McMann def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Jordan Rinaldi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jake Collier def. Alberto Uda via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:06
Erik Koch def. Shane Campbell via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 3:02
UFC FightPass Preliminary Card
Bryan Caraway def. Aljamain Sterling via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Adam Milstead def. Chris de la Rocha via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 4:01
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