Tag: Jailton Almeida

After UFC 311, Jailton Almeida hopes third time’s the charm for Ciryl Gane callout

Jailton Almeida knows what he wants, and he knows how to ask for it. He just hasn’t gotten the right answer yet.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] knows what he wants, and he knows how to ask for it.

The problem has been, he just hasn’t gotten the right answer on that request yet. Still, after a bonus-winning knockout at UFC 311 on Saturday, the Brazilian decided he should call out former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane one more time.

“This is a guy that I’ve called out a couple of times,” Almeida said at the UFC 311 post-fight news conference. “He’s been a guy who’s always been at the top of the rankings, been out there with the interim title. I’ve called him out like three times. So I guess it’s time to fight. I don’t know what I have to. I’m going to have to ask the UFC if I have to buy a ticket to go after him.”

Almeida (22-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) took out Serghei Spivac (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) with a quick first-round TKO at UFC 311 and won a $50,000 bonus. Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has back-to-back wins over Spivac and Alexander Volkov. The latter came at UFC 310 in December – and was a solid candidate for Robbery of the Year.

In fact, Almeida thinks Gane lost the fight to Volkov, even though the judges gave him a split call.

“I think 99 percent of the population of this world thinks the same thing, so I’m not alone. I think he lost the fight,” Almeida said. “I can’t believe that the judges scored the way they did – I don’t know if there was some sort of apologies afterward. I don’t know how that happened, but everybody thinks that he lost that fight.”

Gane, one theory goes, is going to sit back and wait to see what happens between heavyweight champion Jon Jones and interim champ Tom Aspinall. If they fight to unify the belts, Gane no doubt would like the winner.

But in the meantime, Almeida thinks Gane should stay busy against him.

“This whole Aspinall-Jones thing, we hope it’s going to happen. I hope the UFC is going to put the thing together,” Almeida said. “Cyril Gane is the only guy, the only name that I’ve been calling for. This is the third time I’m here in a press conference with the media afterward asking for it. I don’t care where it is, how it happens – in Brazil, in France, whatever. I’ll go to him. Let’s make it happen.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

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UFC 311 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano makes money with move up card

Renato Moicano made some extra cash under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program for stepping into a title fight at UFC 311.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 311 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 311 took place at Intuit Dome. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews/Disney+/FX and ESPN+.

The full UFC 311 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $6,000
def [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Azamat Bekoev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Billy Elekana[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $479,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,497,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC 311 bonuses: Freshly shorn Jiri Prochazka lands extra $50,000 for late finish

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a former champion looking for another crack at the belt.

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a former champion looking for another crack at the belt.

After UFC 311, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Los Angeles. Check out the winners below.

Performance of the Night: Jailton Almeida

Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:53

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) got his second straight first-round finish when he took out Serghei Spivac (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC). The bonus was Almeida’s fourth in the UFC, but first in nearly two years – when he had a stretch of three straight bonus-winning fights.

Performance of the Night: Jiri Prochazka

Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:01

Former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (31-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) went to deep waters with fellow ex-champ Jamahal Hill (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), but eventually took him out with a TKO. He has two losses to champ Alex Pereira already, but put himself into the conversation for an eventual crack at him again.

Fight of the Night: Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

In a classic back-and-forth battle, [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) defended his bantamweight title with a decision win over [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). The loss was the first of Nurmagomedov’s career and an upset.

UFC 311 results: Jailton Almeida swarms Serghei Spivac for TKO, calls out Ciryl Gane

Jailton Almeida scored an opening round finish on the UFC 311 main card, and then turned his attention to Ciryl Gane.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] made relatively quick work of another opponent and immediately turned his attention to a former interim champ.

Almeida (22-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) met Serghei Spivac in the lone heavyweight bout on the UFC 311 main card at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Almeida was tested in the opening moments, but found a way to finish Spivac (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) by TKO at 4:53 of Round 1.

After the opening feel-out striking exchanges, it would surprisingly be Spivac who scored the first takedown of the fight. He patiently landed a few heavy punches from the top, but Almeida found an opportunity to hit a nice sweep and take full mount.

Spivac was able to scramble to escape the position, but the threat wasn’t over as Almeida took his back. Spivac then worked his way to his feet, but it wouldn’t last long.

Almeida lit him up on the feet with heavy, accurate punches. Seconds later, Spivac would cover up on the canvas as Almeida rained down punches until referee Jason Herzog saw enough.

During his post-fight interview, Almeida called out former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. Almeida kicked off his 2025 campaign with a strong win, and has his sights set on the top names in the division.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 311 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac at UFC 311: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jailton Almeida’s first-round knockout win over Serghei Spivac at UFC 311.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] at UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (Fight and venue photos by Gary A. Vasquez, USA Today Sports)

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac prediction, pick, start time for UFC 311

This heavyweight clash between Jailton Almeida and Serghei Spivac on the UFC 311 main card has an early finish written all over it.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 311 main card at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 3-3

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac UFC 311 preview

Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will look to keep the momentum going after a first-round submission of Alexandr Romanov at UFC 302 in June. The win followed Almeida’s first loss in the UFC, a second-round stoppage by the hammerfists of Curtis Blaydes. … Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) enters in a similar situation of successfully rebounding from a loss in his last outing. In his only fight of 2024, Spivac armbarred Marcin Tybura in the first round in August, a win that followed a TKO loss to former interim champ Ciryl Gane.

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac UFC 311 expert pick, prediction

Despite having action fights like Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Bercelos being stuck on the prelims, the UFC matchmakers can’t help themselves when it comes to force-feeding us heavyweight fights that nobody asked for – but I digress.

Getting promoted to the main card amidst the weigh-in day chaos is a heavyweight bout between Almeida and Spivac.

Heavyweight is an incredibly volatile division in an already volatile sport, and this matchup is a weird one to forecast.

Spivac is one of the few fighters at heavyweight with some semblance of a wrestling game, but the Moldovan has more of a limited sambo arsenal of takedowns that are dependent on his control of the clinch. I also believe that Spivac will be an inferior athlete to his Brazilian counterpart.

Affectionately referred to on the internet as “The Jail Man,” Almeida makes the character of Nast Nate from the film “Half Baked” look like a white belt regarding the way he can wrestle his prey to the ground. Once Almeida can establish a dominant position, the 33-year-old standout has no problem going to pound town if a submission is not available.

The pick is Almeida by knockout in Round 1.

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac UFC 311 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Brazilian, listing Almeida -470 and Spivac +340 via FanDuel.

Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac UFC 311 start time, how to watch

Almeida and Spivac are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:40 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC contenders Jailton Almeida, Serghei Spivac booked for 2025 showdown

A heavyweight contender fight is on the UFC schedule for early 2025.

Heavyweight contenders will collide in the second UFC event on the promotion’s 2025 schedule.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] are set for a three-round showdown on Jan. 18 at a location and venue to be announced.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has largely dominated every round of his UFC career, outside of a March knockout loss to Curtis Blaydes. Almeida bounced back from that defeat in June when he made quick work of Alexandr Romanov.

Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has won four of his most recent five bouts, including a slick 74-second armbar submission of Marcin Tybura in August. His only loss in the stretch came from a TKO against Ciryl Gane.

With the addition, the UFC lineup for Jan. 18 includes:

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac

Jailton Almeida calls out Serghei Spivac after quick UFC on ESPN 61 finish: ‘We can fight soon!’

Serghei Spivac didn’t want to call out anyone after UFC on ESPN 61, but that didn’t stop one of his peers from calling his name.

Although he was repeatedly asked to call out his next opponent after UFC on ESPN 61, Serghei Spivac did not want to mention anyone by name. Jailton Almeida did it for him, though.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 61 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) made quick work of Marcin Tybura, submitting him in under two minutes to avenge a prior loss.

During his post-fight interview, Spivac left his next pairing up to the matchmakers. Entering the fight at No. 9 in the promotion’s heavyweight rankings, Spivac refused to call out anyone specifically but did mention he wanted someone ranked above him.

That’s when No. 7 Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) made it known he wanted to share the cage with Spivac next.

“Spivak, do you want someone above you in the rankings?” Almeida wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Im here!! #7 vs #8. I want to fight Bro! Happy you get the finish early, so, we can fight soon!”

Speaking with reporters during a post-fight news conference, Spivac offered a short and simple reply to the callout.

“Let him train,” Spivac said.

Almeida is coming off a first-round submission victory as well. At UFC 302 in June, he quickly finished Alexandr Romanov with a rear-naked choke just 2:27 into their preliminary card bout.

Spivac and Almeida responded well in their last outings, bouncing back from losses to Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes, respectively. The closely ranked fighters could find themselves sharing the cage with each other next.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

Jailton Almeida pleads for Ciryl Gane matchup at UFC Paris: ‘This fight could be a title eliminator’

What else does a man need to do? UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida begs for Ciryl Gane.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] wants it – and he wants it bad.

Less than one month removed from his UFC 302 submission of Alexandr Romanov, Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has received a full health clearance after the New Jersey Athletic Control Board (NJACB), which regulated the event, detected a potential knee injury.

Almeida doubled down on his callout of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (12-2 MMA 9-2 UFC) in a statement issued Thursday to MMA Junkie.

“There was news on the internet that I was injured,” Almeida said, using a translator. “That’s not true. After the fight, I felt discomfort in my knee from old things I already had, but nothing out of the ordinary. I’m already 100 percent and training, even in Sao Joao. I even posted this weekend doing physical preparation and straining my knee. I have already sent the MRI exams and medical reports to the UFC and everything is OK.”

“… I’m looking forward to my next fight. I’ve been targeting Ciryl Gane in France, because France’s cards are always very good and today Gane is one of the most ranked athletes in the category and with excellent morale within the UFC. I believe he would be a great fight.”

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The UFC’s return to Paris is three months away with only one bout known publicly. Gane has remained relatively quiet in recent months. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall claimed Gane turned down a title fight as he works on a movie role.

It’s unclear if Gane will be available for the date, but Almeida is doing everything he can to draw him out. Almeida only sees one other viable option, Alexander Volkov, who he doesn’t really think makes sense.

“I don’t see many possibilities for Gane to fight in France,” Almeida said. “Simply all the names already have fights scheduled, as I put in a post on Twitter. Now the only option is me and Volkov. As he already beat Volkov in a fight that was super boring, the (fight) doesn’t match. It would be the same thing. The two having an extremely tactical fight, without much activity”

“I believe that Almeida vs. Gane is much more interesting, not only because it is a new fight, but also because it is a duel of styles. There is no way this fight will go to the end, if I manage to impose my game. I will put it down and finish, and if he manages to impose his game, he will be able to keep the fight standing, and put on the show he is used to doing.”

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Almeida said he’s already pitched the matchup to the UFC, as has his managers, Leonardo Pateira and Tiago Okamura, of On The Road Management. It’s outside of his control what happens from here, but he’s going to try his best to keep campaigning.

“My manager has already spoken to the UFC about my interest in this fight,” Gane said. “I myself have already spoken to Mick (Maynard) about my interest in this fight. I have already challenged Gane on social media. Now, I’m just waiting for it to happen. It’s in the hands of the UFC and Gane, Let’s wait. I want to stay active because a fighter’s life is short and I believe this fight could be a title eliminator and put me in contention for the belt.”

Almeida, 33, is unblemished in the UFC outside of a TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes in March.

Gane, 34, is 2-1 since a failed title bit vs. Francis Ngannou in January 2022. He most recently competed in September when he finished Serghei Spivac with strikes in Round 2.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 4: Jailton Almeida, Ailin Perez climb up

UFC 302 is in the books. Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

UFC 302 is in the books and with a handful of ranked fighters on the card, there was bound to be movement.

The biggest winner in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings is heavyweight contender [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag], who quickly submitted Alexandr Romanov in the first round. As a result, Almeida has moved from No. 10 to No. 7 in the divisional rankings.

Also, women’s bantamweight [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] entered the honorable mentions, replacing Melissa Gatto. Perez defeated rival Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision on the prelims.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.