Thomas Almeida is back.
Almeida (22-5), a 10-fight UFC veteran, will return to action for the first time in more than four years when he takes on Taylor Moore (13-8) in a bantamweight bout that headlines Art of Scrap 10 on April 11 from Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Almeida, 33, hasn’t competed since a knockout loss to former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in March 2021. He parted ways with the UFC later that year after going on a four-fight losing skid.
The once red-hot prospect, who started off his MMA career 21-0 with all but one fight ending by finish, decided to take some time off after falling out of love with the sport.
“I’m very excited for my comeback,” Almeida told MMA Junkie. “I decided to take a break in my career because I wasn’t that happy. Right now, I’m happy. The fire is burning again, so I decided to return. I’m very excited to show my new skills, the new tools I’ve put in my game, and April 11 is going to be very, very exciting.”
Almeida remained active during his time off by picking up two wins in grappling matches, as well as actively training at his home gym of Chute Boxe Diego Lima in Sao Paulo.
“I wasn’t that happy fighting, the process of getting ready, preparing myself,” Almeida added. “(There was) a lot of pressure and stuff like that, so that’s why I decided to take a break. But I never stopped training. I love training. Training is my life.
“But competing – that wasn’t so good, so that’s why I took a break. I’m sure that was the best option. I was training, and I was learning a lot of things – new stuff, adding new tools to my game. Right now, I think I’m ready to show the new Thomas Almeida.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-UFC fighter Thomas Almeida returns for first MMA fight in four years: ‘The fire is burning again’
