Tag: Jailton Almeida

Tom Aspinall down to defend interim UFC title against Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida winner

Tom Aspinall is warm the idea of defending his interim UFC heavyweight title in 2024, and he has a potential opponent in mind.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is warm the idea of defending his interim UFC heavyweight title in 2024, and he has a potential opponent in mind.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is less than two months removed from winning interim gold with a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in New York. Despite the achievement, though, Aspinall won’t be next to fight for the undisputed belt.

That distinction will go to Stipe Miocic, who is expected to challenge current titleholder Jon Jones once “Bones” returns from injury. Moreover, it’s unknown if one or both of Jones and Miocic will retire after the fight, leaving some uncertainty around Aspinall’s next move.

Aspinall has expressed frustration as he sits on the sidelines waiting for the situation to play out, but he’s made it clear a long break from competition is not of interest. He wants to fight sooner than later, and he sees the winner of the matchup between [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami as a fitting foe (via X):

Aspinall, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, has a history with No. 7-ranked Blaydes. The pair fought at UFC Fight Night 208 in July 2022, with the main event bout ending in just 15 seconds after Aspinall went down with a knee injury that ultimately required surgery and forced him out of competition for a year.

A rematch would certainly be logical if Blaydes wins, but he’ll have to first get past No. 12-ranked Almeida, who was MMA Junkie’s 2023 Breakout Fighter of the Year after picking up victories over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

MMA Junkie’s 2023 Breakout Fighter of the Year: Jailton Almeida

Jailton Almeida became a serious player at heavyweight in 2023.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] became a serious player at heavyweight in 2023.

The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has torn through competition and finds himself on the cusp of title contention. If it wasn’t for the logjam at heavyweight, Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) could possibly have already been there.

Activity was perhaps Almeida’s most impressive feat. The 32-year-old continued his busy schedule since joining the UFC roster in late 2021. Like 2022, Almeida logged in three fights, but against much stiffer competition.

He drew his most experienced opponent to date in Shamil Abdurakhimov to kick off 2023 and sliced through the Dagestani fighter for a second-round TKO to earn a bonus at UFC 283 in January. Almeida then landed his first headliner when he faced former kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May. His ground game proved to be too much when he needed less than a round to submit Rozenstruik to earn his third straight bonus.

To cap off the year, Almeida headlined another show, this time at home against former title challenger Derrick Lewis. It was not his most crowd-pleasing performance, but Almeida dominated the knockout artist on the ground en route to a lopsided decision win in November in Sao Paulo.

Almeida already has his next fight booked. He returns at UFC 299 on March 9 against Curtis Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) – the original opponent for his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 231 before Blaydes withdrew and was replaced by Lewis.

Almeida’s dominance on the ground makes him a serious threat at heavyweight. With 12 submissions to his name, Almeida can stake his claim for a shot at gold if he can get past a fellow elite grappler in Blaydes. If he keeps up his activity, Almeida very well could be in the title picture in 2024.

[lawrence-related id=2701464,2692616,2692609]

UFC in 2023: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 11-17)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 11-17.

Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes rebooked for UFC 299

UFC is revisiting a previosuly-booked matchup that fell through between heavyweight contenders Jailton Almeida and Curtis Blaydes.

The UFC has rebooked a previously scheduled heavyweight main event that fell through.

At UFC Fight Night 231 in November, [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] was set to face [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in a five-round headliner. Blaydes withdrew due to injury, and Alemida ended up fighting and defeating Derrick Lewis.

The promotion has decided to revisit the matchup, booking Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) against Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) in a three-round bout March 9 at UFC 299. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

The event is expected to take place in Miami, but the promotion has yet to officially confirm the location and venue.

Almeida’s unanimous decision win over Lewis was a dominant outing, but also the first time the undefeated Brazilian heavyweight went the distance in his UFC career. “Malhadinho” entered that contest on the heels of a first-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Blaydes will be looking to rebound from a first-round TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. The setback halted a three fight winning streak.

With the addition the UFC 299 lineup includes:

  • Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – for bantamweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
  • Asu Almabaev vs. CJ Vergara

[lawrence-related id=2701464,2693560,2659387]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Jailton Almeida calls for UFC interim title fight vs. Tom Aspinall, doesn’t think Jon Jones should be stripped

Jailton Almeida says an interim title fight with Tom Aspinall makes sense because it’s for the future of the UFC heavyweight division.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] wants to challenge interim UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] next.

Currently riding a 15-fight winning streak, Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) initially called out Ciryl Gane after his beatdown of former title challenger Derrick Lewis last month. While he still thinks Gane makes sense for him next, the Brazilian contender has shifted his focus to Aspinall.

With undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones expected to defend his belt against Stipe Miocic upon his return from injury next year, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) won’t get to unify his belt any time soon. Almeida suggests they fight each other in the meantime.

“Against Ciryl Gane would be ideal, but Tom Aspinall already spoke to the media or whoever and is already talking about a fight with Jailton,” Almeida told MMA Junkie through an interpreter in an interview facilitated by Stake.com. “So, I think probably the Tom Aspinall fight will come first.”

Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds to claim interim gold, which Almeida was very impressed by. He believes a matchup with Aspinall would represent the future of the division.

“It will be a very good fight because Tom Aspinall is a complete fighter,” Almeida said. “He has really good movement. I see myself as an equal in the sense that it would be a good, fair fight. It would be for the future of the category. It’s going to be the future fight for the title.”

Aspinall called for Jones to be stripped of the heavyweight title, which UFC CEO Dana White dismissed. Almeida also disagrees.

“Jon Jones is still the best in the division,” Almeida said. “I believe Tom Aspinall could eventually get there, but for me, there is no doubt that Jon Jones is still No. 1.”

[lawrence-related id=2701433,2701335,2699950,2699661]

Tom Aspinall scoffs at Ciryl Gane’s callout, suggests he fights Jailton Almeida

New interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall shut down Ciryl Gane’s callout after UFC 295.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] shut down [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s callout after UFC 295.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round to become interim heavyweight champion in Saturday’s co-headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Prior to getting the call to face Pavlovich, Aspinall flew to Paris to watch Ciryl Gane beat Sergei Spivac. Aspinall wanted Gane next, but “Bon Gamin” was solely focused on fighting up the rankings. Now that Aspinall is interim champion, Gane is interested in the fight.

“Congratulations, Tom. You are now the champion and become the one being pursued, and I am the hunter. See you soon 👀.”

Aspinall flipped the tables on Gane, suggesting he fight [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) instead.

“That’s interesting after I just called him out, went to France, and he turned the fight down,” Aspinall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 295 post-event news conference. “I think he should fight Almeida. I think them guys should fight each other first and see what happens there.”

Almeida agrees with Aspinall. The Brazilian, who’s unbeaten in the octagon, called out Gane (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) after he dominated Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 231 headliner. Almeida doubled down on his callout.

“I have bad news for you, my friend. You will have to face me before! 🖊️📄 @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

“The champ already said Bon Gamin. The time is now. Me and you. Almeida vs Gane and the winner go to the title! Lets do it! Can be in France, can be in Brazil, can be in Saudit Arabia, can be UFC 300, anyplace, any time @ciryl_gane @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

Aspinall hopes to land his dream fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next. However, Jones is expected to have his title fight with Stipe Miocic rebooked once he returns from injury.

[lawrence-related id=2695448,2695471,2695469,2694554]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC veterans in MMA, boxing, and bareknuckle MMA action Nov. 8-12

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to New York for a big pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden.

UFC 295 features a pair of title fights in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In the co-feature, [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight title, while [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] meets [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] for the vacant light heavyweight crown in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and boxing Nov. 8-12.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Nov. 7: Jailton Almeida nearing top 10

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 231 in Brazil.

The UFC may have a new contender in its heavyweight division.

At UFC Fight Night 231, Jailton Almeida defeated former title challenger Derrick Lewis in the headliner Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a dominant performance in which Almeida clocked a ton of control time on the mat, as Lewis struggled to keep the fight standing. After 25 minutes, it was a clear unanimous decision win for Almeida, and one of the biggest of his UFC run thus far.

Entering the week at No. 15, Almeida climbs three spots to No. 12, replacing Lewis, who drops one spot in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings.

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

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 231: Positive reviews for Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 231, including positive words for Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 231 at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo? Here are a few post-fight musings …