The world was different when Thomas Almeida made his most recent walk to the octagon, a loss to Rob Font in January 2018. The Chute Boxe talent finally returns to action Saturday night, taking on Jonathan Martinez in Abu Dhabi, and it could be the start of a new life for the Brazilian.
Almeida was originally set to face fellow bantamweight Alejandro Perez at UFC Fight Island 6, but the bout fell through when his opponent tested positive for COVID-19. Almeida, who had already agreed on meeting him at 145 pounds moments before the match got cancelled, was then paired-up with fellow 135-pounder Martinez at featherweight.