Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Zuffa LLC

UFC Fight Night events tend to be the promotion’s tool of establishing a presence in new territories left untouched by the MMA juggernaut. These are typically cards littered with local fighters, up-and-comers and the veteran big names reaching the twilight of their glittering careers.

So, when you see there is a Fight Night show taking place in the UFC’s undisputed stronghold in Las Vegas, Nevada, it’s often a sure sign it’s a big event—a gift for MMA fans who will be tuning in to watch the show on Fox Sports free of any pay-per-view fees.

UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt (otherwise known as UFC Fight Night 88) certainly follows that trend. Hosted at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center, the show is headlined by two of the UFC bantamweight division’s most exciting talents in the undefeated pairing of Thomas Almeida and Cody Garbrandt, while the rest of the card is filled with exciting fights and intrigue throughout.

Sunday night’s show has many ‘sleeper’ fights to pick from, such as Aljamain Sterling vs. Bryan Caraway—this card’s UFC Fight Pass “main event”—and Renan Barao vs. Jeremy Stephens.

However, the particular fight you should make a concerted effort to catch is the showdown between Strikeforce veterans Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal and Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin.

Both men were among the top names in their respective weightclasses in Strikeforce. At the time, Masvidal competed as a welterweight before dropping down to lightweight, fighting Gilbert Melendez for his title in a losing effort, while Larkin was an undersized middleweight who shone despite the obvious disadvantages he endured. Now, they will both square off at their preferred 170lbs welterweight limit.

There’s plenty to play for in this fight. Both men are coming off controversial split decision losses—with Masvidal dropping his decision to Benson Henderson in his final UFC outing before defecting to Bellator and Larkin losing a razor-thin decision to fearsome Russian Albert Tumenov.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

Larkin’s move to welterweight was prompted by going 1-4 as a UFC middleweight. But, despite the close loss to Tumenov, which moved his record to 16-5 (1NC), the Californian has been revitalised as a welterweight, beating two tough 170-pounders in John Howard and Santiago Ponzinibbio by TKO—earning Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night honors in the process.

In past fights, The Monsoon’s Achilles heel has typically reared its ugly head when he has been taken down to the mat. This was amplified somewhat by competing in a middleweight division which is very grappling and wrestling-centric with bigger opponents. His ground game is by no means poor. But, it’s obvious where Larkin’s preference lies in terms of where he wants the fight to go while possessing such serious KO power—punching power that is proven by his ten previous KO victims in his professional career.

Meanwhile, Masvidal, who boasts a record of 29-10, is the more rounded fighter of the two. Gamebred has been accused of being a slow starter in the past—exemplified by 16 of his wins and seven of his losses coming by decision. But, he has 11 KO victories to his credit and his technical boxing skills are nothing to be sniffed at.

Speaking to the press, both men have offered parallel answers when asked about each other: this is going to be a bloody fight.

When talking to MMAjunkie Radio, Larkin offered six simple words that pretty much summarize both men’s thoughts: “It should be fun. I’m ready.” He continues: “He’s a durable fighter. There’s not too many fighters out there like that. I’ve never seen him break, and that’s hard, in itself. He’s just a great fighter. He’s ready to bring it.

“When you kind of look at the fight game, there’s a lot of good fighters, but there’s not too many fighters that can keep chipping away and get hit with hard shots and keep coming. To me, he’s one of those fighters. Robbie (Lawler) is one of those fighters. Those fighters are hard to come by. You don’t know who it is until they really come across somebody where they’re going to have to bite down and go for it. So, he’s a durable guy.”

Masvidal echoed those sentiments shared by Larkin: “I’m definitely excited for the fight. I don’t think he’s going to be running around and trying to just score points; he’s going to come to fight. That’s what I’m hoping for, at least. It’s going to be a good scrap.”

This match-up truly has all the makings of a fantastic, enthralling fight. Both men aren’t hesitant to get into a fist fight, they are super motivated to right the wrongs suffered in their last contests and they could be fighting to salvage their UFC careers in this modern era of the promotion’s revolving door roster.

The fighters who successfully made the transition from Strikeforce to the UFC have put on some great fights so far. This is a bout between two of the now-defunct promotion’s alumni and is guaranteed fireworks. Be sure not to miss it.

Check out this related story:

Jorge Masvidal's Dad Got Lost at Sea While Defecting From Cuba