Jailton Almeida was on an impressive winning streak before Curtis Blaydes derailed it at UFC 299. And now, he has another challenge ahead of him. On 1st June, at UFC 302, he will square off against a UFC heavyweight up-and-comer, Alexandr Romanov, which will be a fight to perhaps take a step closer to getting an opportunity to get in the title fight conversation.
Will he be able to bounce back from his first UFC loss? It shall be revealed with time. However, we do know his previous fights and have a fair idea about his fighting style. So ahead of the fight, let’s take a closer look at his journey and his MMA background.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
What makes Jailton Almeida’s background so unique?
At the outset, Almeida wanted to be a football player and not a MMA fighter. However, that dream was short-lived as his family’s finances became an obstacle. That being said, it was inevitable for him to make a career in combat sports as his father was a combatant himself and subsequently was exposed to the world of combat.
With time, he followed his father’s footsteps and turned to combat sports. Although his father was a boxer, his skill set lies on the ground as a grappler. And in 2018, he became a black belt in BJJ which is nothing to scoff at. However, he started his combat sports journey as a boxer at the young age of six and not a grappler.
Moreover, he slowly grew as a complete fighter and made it to the ultimate fighter in 2021. After winning the season, he was offered a UFC contract and made his UFC debut in 2022 with an impressive win against Danilo Marques. Ever since then, he has been undefeated and that is what makes him an exciting fighter. Moreover, ahead of his last fight, he already mentioned whom he was targeting to go for the title.
Almeida has been marking Tom Aspinall
Many heavyweight contenders would look to secure a title match against Jon Jones, who claimed to be the number one by many. However, his future isn’t certain since he’s hinted at wanting to retire after the Stipe Miocic fight. As such, Jailton Almedia had his sights already set on Tom Aspinall for the interim title. He mentioned about it days before the UFC 299 fight.
In an interview, He said, “Now I’m coming to his home country to fight him, and my career is on the right track. With faith in God, I’ll get the win and I’ll be fighting for the belt against (Tom) Aspinall this year.” Unfortunately, it is Curtis Blaydes who’s now going to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim belt as we wait to see when Almeida can land in the title conversation.
Read more: Jailton Almeida’s Ethnicity: Nationality, Background, and All About UFC HW Star’s Life
Written by
Edited by
Smrutisnat Jena