Meet Thomas Almeida: The 5 best KOs from the UFC's hottest prospect
When your nickname is "The Terminator," you better have the footage to back it up.
Thankfully, 24-year-old Brazilian phenomenon Thomas Almeida has done more than enough to validate the moniker.
Almeida is set to face fellow undefeated bantamweight Cody Garbrandt at UFC Fight Night 88 in Las Vegas on Saturday. He's not a well known commodity yet, but if Almeida continues his trend of 16 knockouts in 21 fights, that will change soon.
To whet your appetite for Almeida's first ever UFC main event, here are five of his most devastating finishes:
Brad Pickett - July 11, 2015 - 0:29, R2
This was the third fight of Almeida's UFC tenure and the jury was still out on whether he was a legitimate prospect or a glorified "can crusher." He failed to impress in a decision win over Tim Gorman before regaining his heat with a first-round knockout of Yves Jabouin.
A savvy veteran who began his MMA career when Almeida was 13, Pickett got the better of Almeida in the opening round of their bout at UFC 189.
Pickett may have been overconfident going into round two. Seconds after Pickett threw out a flying knee strike, Almeida answered with one of his own that left Pickett limp.
Ivonei Pridonik - May 5, 2012 - 1:21, R1
Ivonei Pridonik was one of Almeida's earliest victims. In the clip above, you can see how Almeida brilliantly uses head movement to shake off Pridonik's attack and counter with a wicked head kick.
Cody Williams - Nov. 6, 2012 - 2:28, R1
The educated feet of Almeida are not his only weapons. Cody Williams found that out the hard way when he tried to get in close to neutralize the kicking game of "Thominas." It worked, but it also put Williams in range for a short elbow from Almeida that completely crumpled him.
Caio Machado - June 20, 2014 - 4:17, R1
In his last fight before being scooped up by the UFC, Almeida authored his first body shot finish in 17 matches up to that point.
Machado entered their meeting with an unblemished 5-0 record. He left with a bruised liver and the inability to go the bathroom comfortably for a few months after Almeida splintered his torso in the midst of a three-strike combination.
Anthony Birchak - Nov. 7, 2015 - 4:22, R1
Almeida's most recent UFC appearance saw him facing tough-as-nails Anthony Birchak.
"El Toro" did not back down from Almeida even as he was clearly getting the worst of their stand-up exchanges. That put the onus on Almeida to do Birchak a favor and turn his lights out with a no-doubt knockout punch.