UFC Fight Night 88: Thomas Almeida vs Cody Garbrandt - someone's unblemished record has to go

UFC welterweight and commentator Dan Hardy looks at this weekend's contest between two young, undefeated bantamweight fighters in Las Vegas

Cody Garbrandt fights Thomas Almeida at UFC Fight Night 88 (Twitter/@UFC)

It's very difficult to reach the UFC with an unbeaten record, and even more difficult to maintain it through your first few fights. Two prospects will be stepping into the Octagon for this weekend’s main event and one of them will leave with a blemish on their perfect career. I always say, if you have never been beaten, you haven't fought the right opponents. Some have to look further than others for a real challenge: Cody Garbrandt and Thomas Almeida are still searching.

A product of the highly successful Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, Cody 'No Love' Garbrandt has amassed an eight-fight win streak since the beginning of his professional career in 2012. He has stopped all but one opponent with strikes and clearly needs to climb the rankings to find someone that can challenge him. The man preparing to do that is one of my favourite young fighters on the UFC roster. Thomas Almeida has heard the final bell twice in 21 fights, with the other 19 failing to go the distance.

He represents the new generation of Chute Boxe Academy, the Brazilian powerhouse famous for unleashing monsters like Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua and Anderson Silva upon the MMA world. Known for their highly aggressive Muay Thai styling, Almeida is carrying on this tradition in the modern day. His performances so far have been nothing short of devastating, receiving a performance bonus in every one of his four UFC fights so far.

The power and precision of his striking is second to none and aged just 24 his potential seems limitless. The same can be said for Garbrandt, who was trained in boxing by his uncle from the age of 15. He has some success in wrestling also, winning a state championship as a freshman, but his drive for boxing led his focus away from the mat and into the boxing ring. Before making the crossover to MMA he had already compiled an amateur boxing record of 32-1. This, coupled with his wrestling experience, makes him a formidable opponent for anyone.

With both of these athletes being predominantly strikers, the focus will be on controlling range. Almeida is happy to fight on the outside, using his long-range Thai boxing weapons, but has the hand speed and power to contend with Garbrandt, should it become a fist fight. Cody would do better to stay inside that boxing range and threaten a takedown or two, as a reminder that this is an MMA bout. Almeida's brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may come in handy if the fight does hit the mat, but it's likely he will be working off his back against the wrestling heavy top game of Garbrandt.

The question regarding both fighters is how do you beat them? Nobody has done it before, so there is no existing blueprint for gaining victory. It will take a well-rounded skill set, a good training camp and a great performance on the night for one of these men to leave with their impressive winning streak still intact. The only definite winner here will be the fans tuning in to watch this fight take place. I wouldn't be surprised if they meet again in the future, as they edge towards the title.

Before these two athletes do battle, we have a great selection of bouts on the card, featuring prospects and veterans alike. Former bantamweight champion, Renan Barao squares off against heavy-hitting Jeremy Stephens in what should be a real war of attrition. Stephens is a risk-taker with rocks for fists and Barao had one of the most impressive winning streaks in the sport until losing his belt to TJ Dillashaw at UFC 173 two years ago. He is looking to establish himself in a new weight class, switching to featherweight, and start his run at the top.

We will also be treated to two welterweight bouts as Rick Story faces Tarec Saffiedine and Jorge Masvidal takes on Lorenz Larkin. A great night of fighting that should define some future contenders. Thanks for reading and enjoy the event!

Tickets to UFC’s next European event in Hamburg went on sale this week, and can be purchased via Eventim.