# Thomas Almeida

Thomas Almeida (born 31 July 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Almeida formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Legacy FC, where he became the Legacy FC Bantamweight Champion, vacating the title shortly after signing with the UFC.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Almeida made his professional mixed martial arts debut in November 2011. He fought extensively in his native Brazil and amassed a record of 7–0 with four wins via KO before making his Legacy FC debut.
Almeida is managed by Wade Hampel of Big Fight Management.

### Legacy Fighting Championship

Almeida made his Legacy Fighting Championship debut against Cody Williams on 16 November 2012, at Legacy FC 15. Almeida won the fight via KO in the first round.
Almeida faced George Pacurariu on 6 December 2013 at Legacy FC 26. Almeida won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Almeida was expected to face Aaron Philips on 20 June 2014, at Legacy FC 32 for the vacant Legacy FC Bantamweight Championship. However, Philips pulled out of the fight, and he was replaced by Caio Machado. Almeida won the fight via TKO in the first round to win the Legacy FC Bantamweight Championship.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2014, the UFC announced that they had signed Almeida to a multi-fight contract.
Almeida made his promotional debut against Tim Gorman on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 56. Almeida won the fight via unanimous decision, marking the first time ever he didn't finish an opponent in his pro career. The fight also earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus award.
Almeida faced Yves Jabouin on 25 April 2015 at UFC 186. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. This win also secured Almedia his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Almeida faced Brad Pickett on 11 July 2015 at UFC 189. Despite getting dropped twice in the first round, Almeida won the fight via knockout with a flying knee in the second round and also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Almeida faced Anthony Birchak on 7 November 2015 at UFC Fight Night 77. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win resulted in his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus.
Almeida faced fellow undefeated prospect Cody Garbrandt on 29 May 2016 at UFC Fight Night 88. Despite being the betting favorite, Almeida had no answer for Garbrandt's hand speed and accuracy and lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Almeida next faced Albert Morales on 19 November 2016 at UFC Fight Night 100. He won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
Almeida faced Jimmie Rivera on 22 July 2017 at UFC on Fox 25. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Almedia next faced Rob Font on 20 January 2018 at UFC 220. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Almeida was expected to face Marlon Vera on 2 March 2019 at UFC 235. However, Almeida pulled out of the fight on 31 January, citing an injury. It was later revealed that he was experiencing major issues with his vision and required eye surgery. In August 2019, Almeida announced that he hoped to return to action by end of 2019.
Almeida was expected to face Alejandro Pérez on 11 October 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179. However, it was announced on 2 October that Pérez was forced out due to testing positive for COVID-19. He was replaced by Jonathan Martinez and the bout was moved a week later to UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie. Almeida lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Almeida faced Sean O'Malley on 27 March 2021 at UFC 260. After being knocked down in the first round, he eventually lost the fight via knockout in the third round.
After the loss, it was announced Almeida was no longer part of the UFC roster.

### Post UFC

Almeida was scheduled to face Taylor Moore in a featherweight bout on 14 September 2024 in the main event at "Art of Scrap 9". For unknown reasons, the bout was postponed to 26 April 2025 at "Art of Scrap 10".

## Championships and accomplishments

* MMA Super Heroes
** MMASH Bantamweight Championship (one time)
* Legacy Fighting Championship
** Legacy FC Bantamweight Championship (one time)
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tim Gorman
** Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Yves Jabouin, Brad Pickett, Anthony Birchak and Albert Morales
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2015: Ranked #9 Knockout of the Year vs. Brad Pickett
* MMAJunkie.com
** 2014 November Fight of the Month vs. Tim Gorman
** 2015 July Knockout of the Month vs. Brad Pickett

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 27 matches | 22 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 17 | 3 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 22–5 | Sean O'Malley | KO (punch) | UFC 260 | 27 March 2021 | 3 | 3:52 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 22–4 | Jonathan Martinez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie | 18 October 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Featherweight bout. |
| Loss | 22–3 | Rob Font | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC 220 | 20 January 2018 | 2 | 2:24 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 22–2 | Jimmie Rivera | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum | 22 July 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Win | 22–1 | Albert Morales | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 | 19 November 2016 | 2 | 1:37 | São Paulo, Brazil | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 21–1 | Cody Garbrandt | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt | 29 May 2016 | 1 | 2:53 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 21–0 | Anthony Birchak | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 | 7 November 2015 | 1 | 4:24 | São Paulo, Brazil | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–0 | Brad Pickett | KO (flying knee) | UFC 189 | 11 July 2015 | 2 | 0:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 19–0 | Yves Jabouin | TKO (punches) | UFC 186 | 25 April 2015 | 1 | 4:18 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–0 | Tim Gorman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux | 8 November 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Uberlândia, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–0 | Caio Machado | TKO (body punch) | Legacy FC 32 | 20 June 2014 | 1 | 4:17 | Bossier City, Louisiana, United States | Won the Legacy FC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–0 | Vinicius Zani | TKO (punches) | MMA Super Heroes 3 | 30 March 2014 | 4 | 3:52 | São Paulo, Brazil | Won the MMA Super Heroes Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–0 | George Pacurariu | TKO (punches) | Legacy FC 26 | 6 December 2013 | 1 | 4:31 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 14–0 | Cemir Silva | TKO (punches) | Standout Fighting Tournament | 20 September 2013 | 2 | 4:42 | São Paulo, Brazil | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 13–0 | Willidy Viana | TKO (punches) | Alfenas Balada Fight 1 | 9 August 2013 | 1 | 0:47 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 12–0 | Valdines Silva | KO (knee and punches) | MMA Super Heroes 1 | 13 July 2013 | 1 | 2:46 | Louveira, Brazil | |
| Win | 11–0 | José Alexandre | TKO (punches) | Bison FC 1 | 4 July 2013 | 1 | 3:18 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–0 | Gilmar Sales | TKO (punches) | Fair Fight: MMA Edition | 16 December 2012 | 1 | 2:32 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 9–0 | Cody Williams | KO (elbow) | Legacy FC 15 | 16 November 2012 | 1 | 2:28 | Houston, Texas, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 8–0 | Vander Correa | KO (punch) | Predador FC 22 | 20 October 2012 | 1 | 2:21 | São José do Rio Preto, Brazil | |
| Win | 7–0 | Michel Igenho | KO (punches) | Predador FC 21 | 11 August 2012 | 1 | 3:02 | Campo Grande, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0 | Samuel Lima Brito | Submission (guillotine choke) | Gladiador Fight 3 | 19 May 2012 | 1 | 1:32 | Araçatuba, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Ivonei Pridonik | TKO (head kick and punches) | Nitrix Champion Fight 11 | 5 May 2012 | 1 | 1:21 | Joinville, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Edmilson Atanasio | TKO (punches) | Union Combat 1 | 4 April 2012 | 1 | 1:57 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jorge Fernando | Submission (armbar) | Gold Fight Selection 3 | 25 February 2012 | 1 | 0:47 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Danilo Molina | Submission (armbar) | Thai Fight 3 | 29 November 2011 | 1 | 2:16 | Taboão da Serra, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jackson de Padua | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Blessed Fight 4 | 21 May 2011 | 1 | 4:03 | São Paulo, Brazil | |