UFC Fight Night 88 matchups

A breakdown of the fights on the main card of UFC Fight Night 88 Sunday at Mandalay Bay Events Center:

THOMAS ALMEIDA (21-0) VS. CODY GARBRANDT (8-0)

■ CLASS: Bantamweight

■ LINE: Almeida -165

■ STORYLINE: The UFC matchmakers made an interesting decision in matching two undefeated prospects in the bantamweight division. One will make a leap toward stardom, the other will take a step backward. Both Almeida and Garbrandt are aggressive and will look to overwhelm their opponent early. Almeida is as good as anyone at doing damage to the body. Don’t expect Garbrandt to back away, however. The big question is whether either fighter will adjust his gameplan knowing there is a possibility he will have to go beyond three rounds for the first time (this one is scheduled for five). Garbrandt, who has seven knockouts in his eight fights, insists his cardio is unparalleled, and he looked good late in his two fights that went into the third round. Almeida may be able to change the formula if he can do damage to the body. He has been taken the distance only twice and has won three straight performance-of-the-night bonuses. It wouldn’t be surprising if these two both pick up Sunday’s check for the fight of the night.

■ PICK: Almeida by fourth-round knockout

THOMAS ALMEIDA (21-0) VS. CODY GARBRANDT (8-0)

■ CLASS: Featherweight

■ LINE: Barao -175

■ STORYLINE: Barao once looked unbeatable in racking up a 32-fight winning streak and capturing the bantamweight title. T.J. Dillashaw erased the aura of invincibility and chased Barao from the division with two knockout wins over the Brazilian. Barao moves up to 145 pounds looking for a fresh start, and insists he’ll be a better fighter at the higher weight because he won’t be as drained. He certainly looks healthier. He might struggle against the top of his new weight class, but Stephens is a step below that. He’s incredibly tough and certainly has the power to test Barao’s suspect chin, but Barao’s overall game is probably too good. Look for the former champ to get back on track.

■ PICK: Barao by second-round submission

TAREC SAFFIEDINE (16-4) VS. RICK STORY (18-8)

■ CLASS: Welterweight

■ LINE: Story -115

■ STORYLINE: There’s not much mystery about these fighters’ respective strategies. Saffiedine is an elite technician as a kickboxer who will look to stay outside and pick Story apart. Story will try to get inside where he can use his wrestling and try to overwhelm Saffiedine in the clinch. Under normal circumstances, it probably would be prudent to pick Saffiedine as an underdog. But the oft-injured ex-Strikeforce champ nearly had to pull out of this fight when he hurt his knee last week. He was cleared to fight, but has competed only three times since January 2013. Story has been out more than 18 months with injuries, but his style could prove more effective if the fight gets sloppy.

■ PICK: Story by decision

CHRIS CAMOZZI (23-10) VS. VITOR MIRANDA (13-4)

■ CLASS: Middleweight

■ LINE: Miranda -185

■ STORYLINE: Miranda is on a great run with three straight knockouts since a loss in the title bout for his season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.” He is a skilled and powerful striker who is capable of lighting up opponents from the shins to the head. Camozzi is durable, however. He’ll be tough to finish, and Miranda’s conditioning is questionable. If Miranda can’t end the fight early, Camozzi should be at an advantage. While he likes to strike, he’s more well rounded and probably aware of his disadvantage in the standup against Miranda. Camozzi is on his second chance in the UFC and knows a win is more important than trying to prove something. Look for him to try to wear down Miranda and grind out a win.

■ PICK: Camozzi by decision

JORGE MASVIDAL (29-10) VS. LORENZ LARKIN (13-5, 1 NO CONTEST)

■ CLASS: Welterweight

■ LINE: Larkin -125

■ STORYLINE: This is a matchup of two former Strikeforce contenders looking to bounce back from controversial split-decision losses. Larkin won his first two fights after dropping to welterweight last year before being on the wrong side of the judges’ verdict against Albert Tumenov in January. Typically, he has had trouble against bigger guys who want to take him down. Masvidal may have that capability, but doesn’t really fit that mold. He prefers to engage on the feet and probably will look to challenge himself against Larkin, a flashy kickboxer. Masvidal also is on the small side for a 170-pounder and has even competed at lightweight. Both guys are pretty durable, so this has a good chance of going the distance even if some hard shots are landed.

■ PICK: Larkin by decision

JOSHUA BURKMAN (29-12, 1 NO CONTEST) VS. PAUL FELDER (11-2)

■ CLASS: Lightweight

■ LINE: Felder -310

■ STORYLINE: Felder enters as by far the biggest favorite on an evenly matched main card. He lost back-to-back decisions to Edson Barboza and Ross Pearson in 2015 for his only career defeats, but they didn’t greatly damage his stock. The Philadelphia native and former Cage Fury champion bounced back with a submission of Daron Cruickshank in January. Burkman is a durable veteran who dropped to lightweight for his last fight looking to make one last run late in his career. While he broke a two-fight losing streak with a decision over K.J. Noons in his lightweight debut, Burkman’s best shot here is trying to grind one out on toughness and experience.

■ PICK: Felder by second-round knockout