If all goes right inside the octagon at Saturday night’s UFC 299 in Miami, Jailton Almeida is open for a quick turnaround to challenge interim champion Tom Aspinall at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro on May 4.
“Malhadinho” said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that his heavyweight clash with Curtis Blaydes should determine the next contender for the interim throne since champion Jon Jones is sidelined with an injury and Jones’ would-be opponent Stipe Miocic doesn’t seem interested in facing Aspinall at the moment.
“We have to put on a show in this fight,” Almeida said. “Tom Aspinall already said that there’s a new generation coming, and I’m ready for this moment I’ve dreamed of since I started training MMA, to be fighting for the UFC belt. With a show on Saturday, we’ll ask the boss for a chance. I don’t see another option, I have to fight for the belt this year. There’s no one else with this winning streak and the hype I’ll have after I beat Curtis Blaydes, God willing.”
Almeida has won six straight fights since joining the UFC in 2022, finishing five opponents in a row, including the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Abdurakhimov, before earning a decision win over Derrick Lewis — who replaced Blaydes on short notice — in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo this past November.
Aspinall captured he UFC interim belt with a 69-second upset over Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023. His only blemish in eight octagon appearances is a knee injury loss to Blaydes just 16 seconds into their match last July.
While the UFC is targeting a Fight Night show in Manchester for later this year, having an interim title bout headline UFC 301 in Brazil could be a better option business-wise, and Almeida is down for it if he comes out of Saturday’s card uninjured.
“If I don’t have any injuries, and God willing I won’t,” Almeida said, “I think It’d take the risk and chase Tom Aspinall here in Brazil.”
“Tom Aspinall is very experienced, very young too, very versatile, a well-rounded fighter,” he continued. “Everybody sees that he’s becoming one of the best heavyweights of all time and I have to study him a lot because he’s very versatile, he moves a lot. He has good jiu-jitsu, too, and sharp striking. He’s a complete fighter.”
Almeida said he’s “100 percent” focused on his upcoming opponent, but always studies the man sitting at the top of the division. That was the case for Jon Jones, and the same applies to Aspinall.
If they do meet in the future, “Malhadinho” is already searching for answers.
“I started watching his fights when he became champion,” Almeida said. “If you look at the stats and break down fights, Tom Aspinall was never pressured on the ground. We don’t know how good he is on the ground. He’s a black belt, of course, everybody knows that, but he was never pressured on the ground. We don’t know how good Tom Aspinall is with his back on the ground.”
Almeida feels ready to go five rounds against Blaydes, but unlike their planned main event in Brazil, they only have 15 minutes to go on Saturday. “Malhadinho” calls himself an “unpredictable” heavyweight who can either submit you or finish with strikes and promises an exciting match in Miami; however, he enters the cage under criticism following a lackluster victory over Lewis.
“I’m OK with that,” Almeida said. “Fans will complain, but what I’ve done so far in the UFC is surreal. [Lewis] was coming off an extremely brutal knockout over [Marcos Rogerio de Lima] and I was able to do that to him for five rounds. I’m happy with what I’ve done. I know fans will complain, but I can’t let that inside my head. Fans want a show, of course, but what happens behind the scenes? I tried to submit him at all times but I realized it was impossible, he has no neck. I’m sure fans liked my other fights, and I have plenty more to show.”
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