UFC Fight Night 88: Thomas Almeida dismisses Cody Garbrandt's trash talk, aims for early knockout win

Cody Garbrandt wasn't shy in saying that he believes his UFC Fight Night 88 opponent, Thomas Almeida, padded his record.

After all, according to "No Love," it's really easy to get to 21-0 by beating a bunch of cab drivers.

That kind of talk doesn't fluster the young Brazilian prospect, as he tells MMA Fighting he understands Cody is just trying to sell and promote the fight the best way he knows how.

"People promote the fight the way they want. My focus is to train and fight," said Almeida.

"I do my marketing when the cage door is closed. I don't care about what he thinks or says about me. Let him promote the fight the way he wants, I don't care."

Of Almeida's 21 wins, 19 of them are finishes, incurring 16 first-rounds stoppages along the way.

Going into his headlining bout against Cody -- which goes down tonight (Sun., May 29, 2016) in Las Vegas, Nevada -- Thomas is more than confident he can notch another quick KO victory since his foe likes to come out guns blazing, too.

"I like to finish the fight as soon as possible. I believe, based on our fighting styles, that this fight won't go the distance," predicted Alemida.

"I will go for the knockout as soon as the referee lets us fight. He's a striker and likes to trade, likes to finish fights before the decision. That's what stands out the most about him. I believe he will want to stand and trade with me because we are both strikers, but I don't care about his strategies. I will be ready to fight wherever we go," he concluded.

The bout is a pivotal one for both men, as one will continue on with his undefeated record and move up the Bantamweight ladder, while the other will have to pick up the pieces and be forced to start from scratch.

For more on Fox Sports 1-televised  UFC Fight Night 88 event  click here.