Jailton Almeida is coming back to where he began his UFC career.
On Monday, Almeida’s co-manager Leonardo Pateira said on the Brazilian “ConnectCast” podcast that the erstwhile heavyweight contender would be returning 60 pounds south for his next fight. This move comes after two straight defeats that saw him be criticized for a lack of output.
The questions thus loom: is this the right move, and what opponents make sense?
To understand Almeida’s situation, it helps to first understand his UFC career.
After going 13-2 in the Brazilian regional scene, with all wins within the distance, Almeida earned his contract via Dana White’s Contender Series. He made his Octagon debut at light heavyweight, banishing Danilo Marques from the promotion with a first-round TKO. It was his next fight that would launch him into notoriety.
When Maxim Grishin was forced to pull out of a fight against Parker Porter, Almeida stepped in. He was utterly dominant, ending matters with a first-round rear-naked choke. That was when he decided that he was going to be a heavyweight, and it greatly paid off.
Three bonus-winning finishes later, Almeida was supposed to draw Curtis Blaydes, only for the opponent to be changed to Derrick Lewis. “Malhadinho” dominated again, but not in the way fans expected: wary of “The Black Beast”‘s fight-ending punching power, he resorted to repeated takedowns. In fact, the 21:10 of ground control he amassed stands as the UFC heavyweight record.
That performance earned Almeida much scorn, and matters were not helped when Blaydes finished him when they finally met. He managed to rebound with consecutive stoppages of Alexander Romanov and Serghei Spivac to earn himself a potential eliminator against Alexander Volkov. It proved to be a bad fight. Despite landing multiple takedowns and controlling the ground for 11 minutes, Almeida lost by decision after landing only nine significant strikes. His latest fight against Rizvan Kuniev also resulted in a lackluster decision loss, as he landed just 31 significant strikes.
This leads back to today.
Almeida is staking his reputation by returning to light heavyweight. The 265-lb. realm has historically faced a dearth of new blood at certain points, and he looked to be a standout among a new batch. Instead, he is returning to a shark tank that has seen the rise of new contenders like Azamat Murzakanov, Bogdan Guskov, and Mingyang Zhang.
With that in mind, whom ahould “Malhadinho” fight next?
One feasible opponent is Dustin Jacoby, who knocked out Julius Walker three fights before Almeida. The win propelled him to the 14th spot in the latest light heavyweight rankings. He is a crafty, heavy-handed veteran who can test Almeida’s chin.
Another one is Modestas Bukauskas. “The Baltic Gladiator” came up short in his attempt to enter the rankings when Nikita Krylov knocked him out at UFC 324. Both he and Almeida must win to avoid the pink slip and reestablish themselves as threats in a division that is awaiting champion Alex Pereira’s next step.
Regardless of how Almeida fares in his light heavyweight return, it is a shame that he has had to call time on his heavyweight journey. At one point, people thought he would redefine what a top-tier heavyweight was, but soon something within him just disappeared.
It surely cannot be blamed on the loss to Blaydes, as Almeida had two dominant showings thereafter. Nevertheless, the pressure to be Brazil’s next great heavyweight definitely got to him, and he wilted under it. His next fight will certainly be his most important, as it will set the trajectory for the rest of his career.
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