Jailton Almeida is actively seeking his next fight in the UFC and is even considering returning to the light heavyweight division to make it happen.
Having improved his octagon record to 8-1 with two consecutive quick finishes, including a dominant win over Serghei Spivac in January, he initially hoped this would lead to top contender fights against Ciryl Gane or Alexander Volkov.
When those potential matchups didn`t materialize, Almeida shifted his attention to interim champion Tom Aspinall, whose own situation is uncertain due to the unknown future plans of undisputed champion Jon Jones.
Expressing his frustration, Almeida commented with a laugh, “It`s tough, man. It reminds me of when I was fighting in Brazil.” He added, “Among the fighters ranked above me, I think Tom Aspinall is the only one who mentions my name. The others don`t. Gane, Volkov… I don`t know what they`re thinking.”
Almeida continues to train rigorously twice daily, remaining ready for any interesting short-notice opportunities. With Volkov having publicly stated he doesn`t wish to fight Almeida and Gane taking time off for film commitments, Almeida argued that he is the most logical choice to challenge Aspinall next.
“I don`t think it`s fair for Ciryl Gane to fight Tom Aspinall,” Almeida stated. “I`m the only one coming off a significant victory. Sergei Pavlovich has already fought Tom Aspinall, and so has Volkov. Curtis Blaydes is booked for a fight… Among the top contenders, I`m the one who makes sense.” He also criticized Gane`s recent win as a “bad decision,” concluding, “I believe it`s unfair if I`m not given the opportunity to fight for the title.”
With the heavyweight title picture seemingly gridlocked, Almeida decided to shift his focus to Magomed Ankalaev. After the Russian fighter became champion by defeating Alex Pereira in March, he posted on social media, claiming “all the guys turned me down… and international fight week,” publicly asking if there was “anyone in the light heavyweight division who’s willing to fight me?”
Almeida, who originally began his UFC career in the light heavyweight division before moving up to heavyweight, readily accepted the challenge, volunteering to be the first to face the new champion.
“I`m ready for it,” said Almeida, while also expressing criticism of Ankalaev`s approach. “The nerve of him… I`m not trying to diminish him; he is the champion now, but preparing for a title fight takes time. He sees that `Poatan` (Pereira) isn`t fully focused on training right now, only recently returning to the gym. Jiri [Prochazka] mentioned he`s currently focused on school. [Ankalaev] is clearly seeking attention. He`s thinking, `I`m the champion, I`ll stir things up.` So, I decided that since there are no suitable opponents for me at heavyweight, I would be willing to cut down to light heavyweight – assuming he agrees, of course – and make this fight happen.”
Almeida mentioned his current weight is 240 pounds, but stated that making the “sacrifice” to cut down to light heavyweight would be less difficult than before due to a higher body fat percentage. `Malhadinho` (Almeida`s nickname), who was previously asked by Alex Pereira to help him train for the fight against Ankalaev but couldn`t due to an injury, is now eager to step into the octagon himself and defeat the new champion.
“If he makes a mistake against me and ends up on his back, he won`t be getting up,” Almeida warned regarding Ankalaev. He concluded, “I`m a finisher, whether it`s by knockout or submission.”
