Saul Almeida had some struggles in his MMA career not too long ago, but he may have stumbled upon the right formula.

That formula, he said, had a lot to do with no longer training on his own, with just the help of his brother. Now, Almeida is training at Nova Uniao in Rio de Janeiro, where he’s teammates with the likes of Jose Aldo and Renan Barao – not too shabby heading into the biggest fight of his career.

Almeida (18-5) on Saturday fights fellow Brazilian Alexandre Almeida (16-5) at WSOF 24, which takes place at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. The main card airs on NBCSN following prelims on MMAjunkie. The fight between the two Almeidas (no relation) will determine the next featherweight title challenger for champion Lance Palmer.

“I needed a place where I could focus on MMA so I could be more successful,” Saul Almeida told MMAjunkie. “Now I’m in Rio, training with Nova Uniao. Training is going great. I’m training with my friends Roberto Amorim, who fights in Shooto, and Matheus Nicolau, who’s in the UFC. They’re helping me a lot. It’s a family. We help each other. And since they’re booked to fight around the same time as I, we keep each other in a good rhythm.

“Some days, I also train with Aldo. He’s back in the gym now. I’m also working on my wrestling. I hope all goes well, and we get another victory. And once I fight for the belt, I’ll win. I’ll beat anyone they put in front of me.”

Over a roughly year and a half-long stretch between 2012 and 2013, Almeida lost four of five fights, including a pair under the Bellator banner. But since then, he has rattled off five straight wins, including a split decision over Chris Foster in his promotional debut at WSOF 20 in April.

After four fights in 2014, Almeida has fought just once this year. But his opponent will be fighting outside Brazil for the first time – and hasn’t fought since December 2013. Almeida believes that may work to his advantage – but also believes he’ll have a good ground defense.

“I know his strong point is jiu-jitsu and he’ll try to submit me,” Almeida said. “That’s how he’s won in 12 out of 16 victories. But that won’t work against me. I can guarantee that. I think we’ll have a very active fight, each of us trying to impose our rhythm. But he’ll end up losing. He doesn’t move well, so he’ll have problems with me.”

And if Almeida gets that win, he knows just what he wants next – and that’s what has been touted by WSOF officials: a shot at Palmer.

“Getting past him, I’ll take what the promotion offers me next,” he said. “But my goal is to get to the champion, Lance Palmer, as soon as possible.”

For more on WSOF 24, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.