Emerging heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida (18-2, 4-0 UFC) is ready to manufacture his first UFC Battle Evening major tournament look on Saturday evening. Almeida, recently unranked in ESPN’s divisional ratings, will tackle ESPN’s Incorrect. 10 ranked heavyweight, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, at UFC Battle Evening in Charlotte (3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+).
Since making his UFC debut in February 2022, Almeida, 31, has grow to be a extremely touted anticipation, completing all 4 of his warring parties within the Octagon. ESPN known him as one of the vital manage inexperienced persons within the UFC utmost pace for his notable document and his elite skill at the field.
“What I like about Almeida’s ground game is his patience from position to position,” stated Xtreme Couture MMA tutor Eric Nicksick to ESPN. “He allows his ground and pound to do all his work for him. He’s never married to a particular position. He’ll cook you in one position with ground and pound until you give him his next route.”
Here’s a take a look at the numbers in the back of Almeida’s sizzling get started within the UFC, together with his skill to manufacture fast paintings of his warring parties within the Octagon future most often undersized in comparison to his heavyweight friends.
5:21
Thru his first 4 fights within the UFC, Almeida’s reasonable battle future is an notable 5 mins and 21 seconds — which means Almeida handiest wishes simply over a complete around to finish fights.
Handiest considered one of his UFC warring parties, Shamil Abdurakhimov, whom he confronted at UFC 283 in his house nation of Brazil in January, controlled to utmost greater than a around with Almeida within the cage ahead of shedding via TKO. Almeida beat each and every of his 3 warring parties in 2022 by means of a first-round end. Two of the ones finishes got here by means of submission, future the 3rd was once a TKO over Danilo Marques in his debut.
232
Almeida is smaller (when it comes to weight) than any of the opponents ranked via ESPN within the heavyweight section. He fights at 232 kilos in spite of being in a section the place the load restrict is 265 kilos. Almeida in fact fought at bright heavyweight in Dana White’s Contender Form — a rear-naked choke submission win over Nasrudin Nasrudinov — and his UFC debut. He made his UFC heavyweight debut in Would possibly 2022 in opposition to Parker Porter. For that battle, Almeida tipped the scales at simply 224 kilos.
Even though he’s smaller than maximum warring parties he’s going to face in the future, the load extra has no longer been a subject for him thus far in his UFC profession. Almeida, a jiu-jitsu dim belt, makes use of his pace and quickness to get fights to the field and right into a dominant place, the place his opponent’s measurement merit is nullified.
56
And talking of dominating warring parties, Almeida has had one of the crucial dominant begins we’ve visible from a fighter within the Octagon in contemporary reminiscence.
Of Almeida’s 19 mins and 55 seconds of general battle future within the UFC, he spent 18 mins and 59 seconds of that during keep watch over future — which means he was once in a dominant place within the clinch, grappling or wrestling. There has handiest been 56 seconds of his general battle future that Almeida was once no longer controlling an opponent.
None of Almeida’s earlier warring parties controlled to document even a unmarried 2d of keep watch over future in opposition to the grappling ace.
7.5
0:49
Almeida finishes off Nasrudinov with rear-naked choke
Jailton Almeida surrenders Nasrudin Nasrudinov with a rear-naked choke in the second one around.
Almeida wastes incorrect future within the Octagon looking to get his warring parties at the mat. On reasonable, Almeida shoots for a takedown inside of seven and a part seconds of the beginning of Spherical 1. Almeida excels at the usage of his weight to keep watch over warring parties future at the field.
The longest Almeida has long past ahead of taking pictures a takedown in the beginning of a battle is solely 12 seconds in opposition to Anton Turkalj. And the fastest takedown try he logged got here simply 3 seconds into his battle in opposition to Parker Porter.
24
As a result of Almeida makes use of his competitive wrestling taste to get his warring parties to the mat briefly, they have got tiny alternative to land moves. Almeida’s warring parties have landed handiest 24 general moves mixed thru 4 fights, and 19 of the ones got here in his battle in opposition to Turkalj. Of the 24 moves Almeida has absorbed, handiest two have been thought to be vital.
The utmost UFC fighter to have this type of get started with the promotion? Khamzat Chimaev, some other grappling ace who sits between two weight categories. Like Almeida, Chimaev completed each and every of his first 4 warring parties — getting two wins by means of submission and two wins via knockout. And, handiest a kind of fights controlled to manufacture it into Spherical 2. Chimaev handiest absorbed one vital crash and 3 general moves thru his first 4 UFC fights.
It’s a miniature pattern measurement, but when his frame of labor so far is a sign, Almeida can be a infection for the ones ranked on the manage in his section, similar to Chimaev.
