Thomas Almeida Not Getting Comfortable Ahead of UFC on FOX 25

Thomas Almeida spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Jimmie Rivera at UFC on FOX 25. Highlights are below:

On changing as a fighter: “I never settle; I never get comfortable. I always want to improve. That’s the important thing, and that’s what makes me a very tough opponent, in my opinion: because I’m always looking to improve and evolve. I’m on my way, and I’m sure that I’ll be able to show this evolution against Jimmie Rivera.”

On Rivera: “I think Jimmie is an excellent opponent. No wonder he has 20 wins. He’s a very tough guy. Very strategic. He fights to win. I’ve seen all of his fights, especially the ones in the UFC, and he’s a guy who uses the rules in his favor. With each fight, he adjusts his strategy and follows that well. He’s a dangerous guy. He’s very strong, the No. 5 in the rankings. But I trust my work. I trust my will. I know how much this fight matters to me.”

On the eight months since his last fight: “We tried getting a fight in Brazil, at (UFC 212, on June 3). I thought it was going to work, but there was no opponent. I had no injuries, I was well-prepared.”

On getting fights: “As you climb up the rankings, it’s harder to find fights. I can’t just go around fighting anyone. My goal is getting to the belt, so I need to do the right fights to get there. On the bright side, I had longer to prepare and to keep looking for evolution. Fight or no fight, I’m always training. I was sad about not fighting in Rio, but then they scheduled my fight right away.”