Tag: Jailton Almeida

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.

Jailton Almeida wants UFC main event fight vs. Ciryl Gane in Paris: ‘I can see myself finishing him’

Hoping to see the Eiffel Tower, Jailton Almeida wants booking against Ciryl Gane in UFC’s return to Paris.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] wants to get some tourism done, and while he’s at it, kick some ass.

The UFC heavyweight contender is hoping to get matched up against [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] in what many expect to be the UFC’s return to Paris in September. Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) called out Gane following his quick submission win at Saturday’s UFC 302. He hopes to get the fight, but more importantly, he just hopes to get a spot on the card regardless of opponent.

“This week, I was able to see the Statue of Liberty, and it got my blood going, and I want to see the Eiffel Tower now,” Almeida said at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference. “I want to start doing a little more sightseeing, and it just so happens to be that Ciryl Gane is probably going to be the main event there. I want to fight in Paris, regardless. If it’s Ciryl, great. If he doesn’t want to fight me, I’ll fight anybody there.”

If the UFC matches him up against the Frenchman, Almeida expects to submit him. He’s not sure if he could pull off what Jon Jones did, but given enough time, he’s sure he’d get the job done before the final bell.

“A fight is always different, but I would be for sure looking for the finish,”
Almeida said. “I don’t know if I could get it early like Jon Jones was able to because I don’t think Ciryl was expecting that, but I can see myself finishing him in the third round or fourth round if it’s a (five-round fight).”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Islam Makhachev’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $218,500.

NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $281,500.

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 302 took place at Prudential Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 302 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,264,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,001,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 302 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

NEWARK, N.J. – UFC 302 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

You can hear from all the UFC 302 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 video: Jailton Almeida taps Alexandr Romanov with standing rear-naked choke

At UFC 302, Jailton Almeida bounced back from a knockout loss when he made quick work of Alexandr Romanov.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] got it done inside one Saturday at Prudential Center to bounce back into the win column.

In under 20 seconds, Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) took down opponent Alexandr Romanov (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) during their UFC 302 preliminary card bout. After a few attempts, Almeida secured a rear-naked choke for the tap at 2:27 of Round 1.

Almeida was emotional after the victory, which comes less than three months after a knockout loss to Curtis Blaydes in March. That defeat was the first of his UFC tenure.

While Almeida has had fairly consistent results over the course of his eight-fight UFC tenure, he’s occasionally struggled to finish fights inside the distance. The quick submission Saturday moved him further in his intended direction and he called for a fight at the UFC Fight Night in September in

Romanov has lost three of his most recent four outings after a five-fight winning streak to kick off his UFC tenure.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 302 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Jailton Almeida def. Alexandr Romanov at UFC 302: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jailton Almeida’s first-round submission win over Alexandr Romanov at UFC 302.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports)

Jailton Almeida a ‘huge fan’ of Khabib Nurmagomedov, says he received tips ahead of UFC 302

Jailton Almeida got some insight from a Hall of Famer ahead of UFC 302.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] got some insight from a Hall of Famer ahead of UFC 302.

Almeida (20-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets Alexandr Romanov (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday’s main card (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Almeida competes on the same card as headliner and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who will have [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] in his corner. Almeida says he had the opportunity to speak to Nurmagomedov and was surprised when “The Eagle” told him he watched his fights.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Makhachev,” Almeida told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 302 media day. “As everyone knows, I’m a fan of that school. I’m a fan of that style. I’m a huge Khabib fan. I crossed paths with him doing some training, and I really got emotional about it, just somebody I’ve always admired.

“I actually found out that he watched my fights and had some comments on my fight. So, I was just there absorbing all the tips and the fact that he actually watched my fights, and I’ve watched him train, as well, so I saw some things. Listen, big fan of Makhachev. I just think he’s a surreal evolution, he’s growing a lot, and I think it’s going to be Islam (beating Poirier).”

Almeida will look to rebound from his first octagon loss when he takes on fellow grappler Romanov.

“He’s a really experienced guy,” Almeida said. “Somebody that’s got a good record, coming off a win, but a guy that’s young. He’s 33 years old, but for his age he’s got a lot of experience under his belt and is a guy with a different style for heavyweights. He likes the ground game, the wrestling, the grappling style and again, an experienced guy that likes to grapple.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.