Cesar Almeida’s kickboxing history has his MMA opponents automatically worried about his standup skills inside the octagon, and the 36-year-old striker expects fellow middleweights to be twice as worried after his UFC Vegas 101 win.
Almeida, who traded hands with the likes of Alex Pereira in kickboxing before fully transitioning to an MMA cage, stopped Abdul Razak Alhassan in violent fashion this past weekend in Las Vegas. He admits he foresaw a three-round battle, but “knew I could [knock him out] if my hand connected.”
“It’s a victory that puts me on everybody’s radar,” Almeida told MMA Fighting. “Everybody will come more cautious now and try to play a safer fight against me, so I have to be ready for that. I have to go back to the gym and train my difficulties to be able to get better and stay on the feet and keep knocking people out so I can continue to grow in the division and in the organization. I have to be even more professional because the challenges will be bigger now.”
At 7-1 as a professional MMA fighter and now 3-1 since joining the UFC with both knockout finishes earning him $50,000 in performance bonuses, Almeida will use the extra cash to finish paying for his house and previous debts, guaranteeing a more financially stable life for his family going forward. On top of that, it gives Almeida confidence he can go even higher in the sport.
“[The bonus] is gratifying not only for the money, but also for the recognition,” Almeida said. “Money is f*cking good, I won’t say it’s not [laughs], we fight for money and to have a better life. I don’t know where I can get, but I’ll work hard to get as far as I can here. Who knows if it’s the top 15, the belt. Now I’m fully aware that I have what it takes. All I have to do is keep my foot on the ground and continue training hard. I can get to the top and fight those guys. This fight has proven to myself that I can do it, I’m ready for great challenges.”
Almeida asked for a top-15 opponent and a spot on a UFC event in Brazil next, with the promotion possibly returning to the nation’s capital Brasilia on May 31, but he now wants to wait and see other bouts take place in the division before pointing fingers and saying names.
“The division is a bit too complicated right now and everybody has a fight booked,” Almeida said, “So I’ll take some time to rest and enjoy my life, do all the exams I have to do right now, and then we’ll see what’s the best path for us.”
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