Brazilian Prospect Thomas Almeida Signs New UFC Deal

It seems as if one of the bantamweight division’s top prospects will be sticking around the Octagon for a little bit longer. MMAJunkie has reported that surging Brazilian knockout artist Thomas Almeida has signed a new five-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

In a division scarce of contenders, the 24-year-old young gun Almeida has been a force as of late and could potentially be a true threat in the 135-pound division, as he has showcased absolutely lethal Muay Thai skills.

Almeida, a former champion with a different organization, is currently 20-0 with 15 knockouts, as well as sitting at 3-0 inside of the world famous Octagon. The Brazilian debuted in November 2014, scoring a decision victory Tim Gorman, and he followed that with a first-round knockout over Yves Jabouin at UFC 186 last April in Canada.

Most recently, the surging prospect faced the toughest test of his career when he took on heavy-handed veteran Brad “One Punch” Pickett at July 11’s mega event, UFC 189 from Las Vegas. Not only did Almeida prove that he could hang with a proven opponent, but he proved that he could overcome adversity and still push forward.

Getting rocked, dropped, and bloodied early on, Almeida battled back by scoring a phenomenal flying knee knockout in the second round.

With three post-fight bonuses in his UFC career, and currently being ranked at No. 15 in the bantamweight rankings, the Brazilian should be in line for a very exciting matchup, although as of now he does not have a fight scheduled.

Possibly a fight against a top-10 ranked fighter such as Bryan Caraway, or Aljamain Sterling, two men who have looked super impressive as of late would make sense.

Who would you like to see Almeida fight next, and does he have what it takes to be a title contender in the 135-pound division?