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UFC Fight Night 88 Recap: Stoppages Few, But Dazzling

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 02:21 PST, May 30, 2016

Sunday night’s UFC Fight Night, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a fight card featuring names you may have very well seen a decade ago. For example, Josh Burkman fought on the third-ever UFC fight night a little over ten years ago. So did Jeremy Stephens — it was Stephens who welcomed Rafael dos Anjos to the UFC in 2008 handing the Brazilian fighter his first loss.

But it wasn’t all UFC veterans. The Las Vegas event also gave us a look at the next generation of prospects. It’s not hard to believe that some could be the future faces of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The atmosphere was electrified well before the main card began. It was largely thanks to Bryan Caraway, a promising fighter who scored an impressive upset win over the previously unbeaten Aljamain Sterling. The split decision victory may help Caraway move from beyond the shadow of his more famous long-time girlfriend, Miesha Tate.

Yahoo Sports quoted Miesha’s observation that despite his skills, Bryan is always viewed as something of an “underdog.”

“I see what he does in the gym on a daily basis and I’ve been coached by the guy for nine, 10 years. I know that my ability is a direct representation of his ability. … He took down the No. 4-ranked guy tonight, a guy who is a very strong, tough fighter, and he beat him.”

Caraway himself spoke of fighting to turn the tide in his favor and earn the respect of UFC fans.

“Those things I’ve been through, living in a tent, then living in an RV with Miesha, you have to learn how to fight back to get what you want.

A split-decision victory might not be enough to get Bryan what he wants right now. However, the win will certainly give him a much-needed confidence boost going forward.

The live prelims did not slow down the momentum — Erik Koch and Jake Collier followed up with impressive back to back 2nd round finishes. Kosh ended his bout against Shane Campbell with a rear-naked choke. Later, Collier beat Alberto Uda by TKO.

By that point, it was shaping up to be another special night featuring some incredible fights.

There were a few bumps, though.

It was hard to overlook Sara McMann and Jessica Eye, even if in the context of the night’s matches it was a forgettable fight. Sara and Jessica were two women once touted as future champions. Their careers took an unfortunate turn, with both Eye and McMann 1-3 in their previous four fights. The records had made each woman overly cautious, not willing to step out and truly perform. The fear of another disappointing loss was palpable.

Of the two women, McMann had superior wrestling skills to fall back on. Sara defeated Jessica by unanimous decision.

The main card saw five of six matches go to the judges for decision. Four of the five fights were unanimous, with just Lorenz Larkin defeating Jorge Masvidal by split decision.

For fight fans disappointed by the lack of dazzling finishes, the night was saved by the final fight of the evening. Cody Garbrandt stunned Thomas Almeida in the very first round, scoring a knockout win.

https://youtu.be/A4wYOXu_EEs

As MMA Fighting observed, it’s not hard to understand why Garbrandt and Almeida together. These up-and-coming prospects are both undefeated. They weren’t so much putting on a show as trying to determine which of them would be the future of the UFC bantamweight division.

The stoppage came at 2:53, and it would give Garbrandt his eighth career TKO/KO. Said Cody, “I have the utmost respect for Thomas Almeida. He’s going to be a future champion and I’m sure we’ll have future fights for sure.”

I’m sure many UFC fight fans can agree that this is a matchup that we’d love to see again in the near future!

[Image via UFC/YouTube]

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