Break it Down: Brad Pickett vs. Thomas Almeida

Fan favourite Brad “One Punch” Pickett will make his return to the UFC’s bantamweight division on Saturday night, as he is set to clash with the unbeaten Thomas “Thominhas” Almeida in the opening bout of the monumental UFC 189 pay-per-view.

Londoner Brad Pickett (25-10), 36, is an American Top Team and Team Titan representative who has been competing in professional mixed martial arts for over a decade. During his career, Pickett has competed in a total of four different weight classes, with the vast majority of his success coming in the bantamweight division, where he was once ranked amongst the division’s top five competitors.

“One Punch” spent the first half of his career earning his stripes on the UK circuit, where he went on to establish himself as the UK’s premiere featherweight fighter. Following his accomplishments on this side of the pond, he was then acquired by the now-defunct North American promotion the WEC, where he decided to make the drop to bantamweight up on his arrival. Pickett enjoyed a successful stint in the WEC, winning three of four bouts including a unanimous decision victory over current UFC Flyweight Champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Pickett then migrated to the UFC following their merger with the WEC and has since gone on to compete nine times for the promotion, picking up five post-fight bonuses along the way.

He will be returning to the bantamweight division on Saturday night following a brief experiment in the UFC’s flyweight division. Pickett made the drop to 125lbs in the hope of securing a rematch against the aforementioned Johnson, only for him to stumble in two of three appearances as a flyweight. Following a controversial split decision loss to Chico Camus in his most recent bout, Pickett announced his desire to move back to bantamweight.

Thomas Almeida (18-0) of Brazil is the man who has been selected by UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to welcome Pickett back to the bantamweight division and based on Almeida’s previous performances, it will not be a friendly welcoming either. Almeida trains out of the notorious Chute Boxe Academy in Sao Paulo, the same team that has given birth to some of the greatest orchestrators of violence the sport of MMA has seen, with the likes of Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua all previously training at the academy.

Despite only being 23-years of age, Almeida already has eighteen bouts and four years of professional mixed martial experience under his belt. Prior to his UFC-debut back in November, Almeida fought primarily on local shows in Brazil, with a handful of appearances in the North American Legacy promotion sprinkled in too. He has faced little adversity in his career thus far, failing to finish only one opponent.

From a stylistic standpoint, there is zero chance that this bout doesn’t produce fireworks. Almeida is a Muay Thai machine that fights with the same marrow-deep intensity that is associated with your stereotypical Chute Boxe fighter, whereas Pickett is your typical tough as they come, hard-nosed English brawler who loves nothing more than to slug it out in close quarters.

For Almeida to win, he simply has to remain upright and employ his high-pressure, multi-pronged Muay Thai attack in an attempt to become the first man to finish Pickett with strikes in over a decade. It will not be easy going for Almeida, as despite him holding significant advantages in striking technique, diversity and speed, Pickett’s ability to absorb strikes is simply inhuman.

Pickett’s route to victory involves a lot more risk than Almeida’s, as in order for to capitalise on his wrestling advantage he will need to strike with Almeida for just long enough to correctly disguise his takedowns. If he is able to drag the Brazilian down, expect Almeida to to either strike from the bottom or work relentlessly in an attempt to get the fight back on the feet. It’s also worth noting that Almeida possess a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and could pose a threat with submissions too.

My primary concern here lies with Pickett’s persistent desire to please the audience. Throughout his career, Pickett has had a penchant as an entertainer and it’s that attitude that could cost him the fight on Saturday. If however he is able to successfully blend together his boxing and wrestling like he has been able to previously, then he should be able to ground Almeida and score points from top position with ground and pound and top control.

One thing I find difficult to comprehend coming into this contest is that Almeida is listed as a high as a 10/1 favourite on some betting lines, which is borderline insane considering Pickett is by far the most polished fighter he’s fought and presents stylistically the most challenging match-up of the Brazilians young career.

And challenging is exactly what I think it will be for Almeida. He has not faced anyone with the combination of durability and heart of Pickett, someone who is capable of taking his best shots and continuing to walk forward. It certainly will not be easy going and you can bet the house that Pickett will leave the cage with an assortment of cuts and bruises, but I do favour Pickett to do just enough to grind out a close decision here in a guaranteed contender for “Fight of the Night”.

Prediction: Brad Pickett via decision