Cody Garbrandt is a legitimate threat to everyone in the bantamweight division including champion Dominick Cruz
Heading into the main event on Sunday night in Las Vegas, Cody Garbrandt was a solid underdog to Thomas Almeida, who had a mountain of hype on his side after amassing an impressive 21-0 record while also winning his first four fights inside the Octagon.
The odds were understandable given Almeida's No. 7 ranking and the way he had dispatched past opponents with such unrelenting violence, but none of that mattered to Garbrandt.
In fact, Garbrandt predicted in the days leading up to the fight that he would dispatch Almeida with a first round knockout.
"I see a first round knockout," Garbrandt told FOX Sports earlier this week. "He's a slow starter and I'm going to get after him. That's how I fight, I'm hungry and I get in there to do this."
Garbrandt lived up to his promise as he pursued Almeida with precision and power until he finally uncorked a hellish right hook that clobbered the Brazilian and send him crumbling to the mat. One more hammer fist for good measure and the fight was stopped as Garbrandt climbed the cage and celebrated his knockout victory over one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport.
With the win over Almeida, Garbrandt stands a perfect 9-0 in his career and 4-0 in the UFC, and with the kind of talent he possesses, he proved that he's the prospect at 135 pounds everybody should have been paying attention to all along.
Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Heading into Sunday night's card, there were a trio of top bantamweights vying for that coveted spot as a fighter to knock on the door of title contention over the next 12 months. Almedia seemingly topped the list with his 21 wins and 20 finishes along the way. Aljamain Sterling also had an argument after winning his first 12 fights, including an impressive run to get to No. 4 overall in the division.
By the end of the night, Garbrandt was the last man standing after he knocked out Almeida in impressive fashion and Sterling suffered a loss to Bryan Caraway earlier on the card.
Truth be told, Garbrandt probably deserved more attention going into the night although this was his coming out party to prove he belonged among the elite bantamweights in the division.
With his boxing skills that might just be the best in the entire division coupled with a wrestling game that he hasn't even really been forced to use at this point in his UFC career, Garbrandt seems like the perfect hybrid mixed martial artist with a future championship that will be added to his résumé.
Of course, beating Almeida isn't the test that's going to get Garbrandt a title shot, but it certainly lands him on the radar of every bantamweight contender sitting in front of him in the rankings.
Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Garbrandt's path to the title might go through former teammate TJ Dillashaw or other title contenders like John Dodson or Michael McDonald.
The road to gold might even land at Urijah Faber's front door, which would make for an awkward encounter considering he's Garbrandt's teammate and close friend.
No matter how it goes, Garbrandt is no longer on the outside looking in when it comes to the best of the best in the bantamweight division.
He's crashed through the wall and now Garbrandt is a legitimate threat to anyone at 135 pounds -- and that includes champion Dominick Cruz.
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