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Five Jailton Almeida Fights To Watch Before UFC 299
Take A Look At Five Of Jailton Almeida’s Best UFC Fights As He Prepares To Face Curtis Blaydes At UFC 299: O’Malley vs Vera 2.
The rise to contender status has been a fast one for Jailton Almeida, as the 32-year-old heavyweight jumped out to a 6-0 record in the UFC.
The Brazilian heavyweight has showed flashes of star power when he earned his spot on the roster thanks to a win on season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series. After winning his UFC debut at light heavyweight, he decided to move up a division. The decision paid dividends, as Almeida rattled off five straight victories and climbed the heavyweight rankings.
Recap all five of Almeida’s five UFC fights at heavyweight ahead of his pivotal UFC 299: O’Malley vs Vera 2 showdown with Curtis Blaydes.
Jailton Almeida vs Parker Porter
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira - May 21, 2022
(Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
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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Almeida’s UFC heavyweight debut was a flawless one.
Almeida took Parker Porter to the canvas very early in their matchup, he positioned Porter against the Octagon fence, and made him defend ground-and-pound strikes for almost four straight minutes. The second that Porter gave up his back and tried to get to his feet, Almeida grabbed his neck – locking in a rear naked choke and forcing the tap before the end of the first round.
Jailton Almeida vs Anton Turkalj
UFC 279 – September 10, 2022
(Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
Almeida’s UFC 279 bout with Anton Turkalj looked almost identical to his bout with Porter.
Almeida took Turkalj down without absorbing a single strike, he worked his jiu jitsu game to maintain control while landing some strikes, and he kept Turkalj on the canvas. Turkalj kept trying to get to his feet and break away, but was unsuccessful. Almeida used some ground-and-pound strikes to get Trukalj to roll away from the damage, and that’s when Almeida sunk in the rear naked choke win at the end of the first round. Pure dominance.
Jailton Almeida vs Shamil Abdurakhimov
UFC 283 – January 21, 2023
(Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
After watching Almeida’s performances against Porter and Turkalj, the UFC wanted to know how Almeida would do fighting ranked opposition. Almeida faced Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he passed the test with flying colors.
Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2
Almeida wasn’t afraid to go back to the well, taking Abdurakhimov to the canvas in the first minute. Abdurakhimov wasn’t able to get back to his feet for the rest of the round, as Almeida smothered him with ground strikes. It was about as dominant of a round as there can be.
Right off the bat in the second, Almeida went for Abdurakhimov’s legs and got him to the ground. Just when it looked like Abdurakhimov was going to get to his feet, Almeida dragged him down and flattened him out with two hooks in. Almeida poured on a handful of punches and that was all she wrote.
Jailton Almeida vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida – May 13, 2023
(Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
Almeida continued his trend of taking opponents down and overwhelming them when he faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik in Charlotte, NC.
Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2
This one was special though, as it was Almeida’s first main event, and it was his golden opportunity to crack into the Top 10. Almeida took full advantage of it, getting “Bigi Boy” to the canvas in the first round and submitting him.
It was the perfect way for Alemida to showcase that his grappling style was effective against the best in the game.
Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis
UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs Lewis – November 4, 2023
(Watch On UFC Fight Pass)
Almeida’s second main event was initially scheduled to take place against Curtis Blaydes, but an injury to Blaydes made way for former title challenger Derrick Lewis to fill in.
In front of a Brazilian crowd, Almeida delivered a shutout performance. He blanked Lewis, winning all five rounds with his takedowns and ground control. It was the first time that Almeida failed to find a finish in the UFC, but it was still impressive to see Almeida handle the strength of Lewis in that fashion.
UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2 took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on March 9, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
