Athletes
Big Opportunity, Big Test For Jailton Almeida
Rising Brazilian Star Faces Biggest Challenge To Date In First UFC Main Event This Saturday
Jailton Almeida earned four wins with four finishes in his first 12 months competing inside the UFC Octagon, forcing his way into the heavyweight rankings in the process. But as he readies for his first main event this weekend against Jairzinho Rozenstruik on ABC, the surging Brazilian isn’t reflecting on the highs of last year, but rather the low points in the early days of his career, when he nearly walked away from the sport.
“When I talk about looking back, I don’t think that much about this year that I’ve been with UFC, but more about where I came from and the journey to get here,” he said through translator Tiago Okamura on Tuesday morning, just a few days away from facing off with Rozenstruik on ABC. “There were times when I was thinking about quitting — I came very close to quitting more than once — because things didn’t go my way, things didn’t go as expected, and that’s a big thing.
“Back in 2014, I actually did stop,” continued Almeida, who arrived in Charlotte stationed at No. 12 in the heavyweight rankings, three spots behind his opponent. “A lot of people glamorize this sport, but when you’re going up, climbing the ranks — I was spending my own money to get punched in the face. I wasn’t making any money. I was having to spend way more than I was making just to keep at it and try and find my way.
“People around us were judging the decisions, saying how it was not the right path because the math didn’t add up. At that point, I literally quit, but the friends I have around me up to this day, my manager, they kept me composed, got my head in the right place, and we put in the work, got to where we are now.
“You can’t give up,” he added. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel if you really believe in it and you’re willing to do the hard work. Here I am, on the road to maybe a title shot eventually. Who’d have known? I could have stopped at that time and none of this would have happened.”
Instead of walking away, Almeida persevered and eventually put together an eight-fight winning streak that earned him an invitation to compete on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
Paired off with undefeated Russian Nasrudin Nasrudinov, the slight underdog dominated from the outset, collecting a second-round submission win and ticket to the UFC roster. After debuting with a win over Danilo Marques at light heavyweight, the well-built Brazilian ventured to the heavyweight ranks, where victories over Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj, and Shamil Adburakhimov followed.
“I think that I perform better at heavyweight,” he said when asked about the decision to change weight classes. “It was a little bit about opportunity, but not having to cut weight, not having to focus on that side of things and just focus on my craft, on my performance, makes a lot of difference.
“It’s a little bit of a shallow division, so I think the path to the title can be a little clearer, but overall, it’s a lot about performance.”
While the path is certainly shorter than in divisions like bantamweight or lightweight, the haste with which Almeida has risen to standing opposite Rozenstruik also has a great deal to do with what he’s done through his first four trips in the Octagon.
It’s not just that he’s earned four victories, or even four stoppages, for that matter, but he’s made it look easy.
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His first heavyweight appearance came as a result of circumstance, as his light heavyweight opponent, Maxim Grishin, withdrew a couple weeks prior to the contest. Veteran Parker Porter agreed to step in, Almeida agreed to meet him at heavyweight, and ventured into the cage giving up more than 40 pounds to his new opponent, which made it all the more impressive when “Malhadinho” hoisted the New England native into the air and deposited him on the canvas before quickly choking him out.
Each of his next two victories produced Performance of the Night bonuses, and further solidified Almeida as one of the rising stars of both the heavyweight division and the entire UFC.
And the Brazilian is making sure to appreciate these moments.
“Being ranked, that was very quick and surprising, to a certain extent, but now fighting in a main event in my fifth fight, that’s huge,” he said. “It’s a lot bigger than just being ranked. Getting the stage to perform at the highest level in the UFC, the top of the bill, my face on the poster and all of that — I think that is the biggest thing.”
But big opportunities mean big tests, and Saturday night, “Bigi Boy” presents the most formidable challenge Almeida has faced to date inside the Octagon.
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The 35-year-old from Suriname was Almeida in 2019 — racing out to four wins and four finishes in his first year on the roster, catapulting himself into the Top 15 with victories over the likes of Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem.
A former kickboxer with proven knockout power, Rozenstruik has struggled to find consistency since graduating to the upper tier of talent in the heavyweight division, but enters Saturday’s contest off a 23-second knockout win over Chris Daukaus in December that snapped a two-fight skid.
Jailton Almeida Gets TKO Win Over Marques In His Debut | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland
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Jailton Almeida Gets TKO Win Over Marques In His Debut | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland
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He’s only ever lost to former champions and top contenders, and right now, Almeida is neither of those things, but he believes he could be in the future, and that he’s going to present Rozenstruik with plenty of problems this weekend in Charlotte.
“With Jairzinho, the fight is pretty straight forward,” began Almeida, offering his assessment of this weekend’s main event matchup. “We know what he has to do, what he does, and the dangers he presents. He’s a very competent striker, he has finishing ability in the standup, so we have to be aware of that.
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"But we also know the style doesn’t match up very well for him,” he added, smiling. “I’m much more mobile than most heavyweights. I’m quicker, more limber, and I’m just as strong as everybody else, and I’m more finish-driven than most grapplers in the division. I think I pose a tough test for him, for sure.”
After briefly giving up a decade ago and battling to reach the biggest stage in the sport, it’s been quite an initial 15 months in the UFC for Almeida, with Saturday standing as both a milestone moment to cherish and a chance to continue climbing the divisional ladder.
Jailton Almeida Submits Porter In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira
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Jailton Almeida Submits Porter In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira
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And as much as he’s focused on the task at hand, the streaking and emerging contender also has some thoughts about what could come next, as well.
“Just the chance to fight Jarizinho is great,” he offered. “He’s a very well-known fighter in the division, so he’s a great measuring stick. I know if I can pass this test, I’m ready for bigger things. A win here, at this stage, on ABC, in the main event, I think it propels me quite a few steps closer to a title fight.
“We know we have to finish the job on Saturday first, but with the win, I think a fight that makes sense for me is with Tai Tuivasa,” he added. “He is higher than me in the rankings and also very well known; another great name to add to the record.”
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida took place live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on May 13, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
