Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida, brother of Prof. Flavio Almeida of GB San Clemente, won again inside the Octagon.

The talent gap between Ricardo Almeida and Matt Horwich proved as significant as many had feared.

Almeida (10-3) cruised to a unanimous decision against the accomplished Team Quest veteran at UFC Fight Night 18 on Wednesday at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennesse. All three judges sided with Almeida by matching 30-27 scores in a bout where the outcome seemed almost inevitable.

A former middleweight King of Pancrase, Almeida dominated Horwich with takedowns and top control, as he grounded him at will. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt put Horwich on his back in every round and threatened him with a guillotine choke in the first. The one-time International Fight League champion spent much of his time and energy scrambling back to his feet, only to be taken down again by Almeida.

Horwich (22-12-1) has yet to taste victory inside the Octagon and has dropped three of his past four bouts overall, including two straight. Almeida has won eight of nine dating back to a November 2002 Pancrase appearance.

Congratulations Ricardo,

Gracie Barra San Diego Team.