In approximately 15 months’ time, Jailton
Almeida has made a name for himself by winning five consecutive
UFC appearances — all inside the distance.
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That run of success resulted in a booking against Curttis Blaydes
in the main event of UFC Sao Paolo on Nov. 4. It wasn’t Almeida’s
first choice of opponent, but the Brazilian had no issues taking
the fight.
„I asked for No. 6 ranked [Tai
Tuivasa] anywhere. Hunter [Campbell] offered the No. 4 in
Sao Paulo; we immediately accepted,” Almeida said. “He’s been in
the UFC for seven years. I arrived 15 months ago. He’s the one who
has all the pressure on his shoulders.”
Almedia looking forward to fighting in his home country and not
having to adjust to different time zones for the first time in his
UFC tenure.
“I’m used to traveling for up to 24 hours (including connections).
It’s going to be great to be able to fight two hours away from
Salvador with the support of my fans,” Almeida said.
Against Blaydes, who is one of the best wrestlers in the
heavyweight division, Almedia is expecting to showcase his striking
skills.
“My nickname is Malhadinho because my father (Malhado) was a boxing
teacher. I’m going to exchange blows with Blaydes,” he said. “He’s
coming off a knockout loss, and I’m sure my speed and the pressure
from the crowd here in Brazil will make the difference.”
Almeida revealed that he plans to weight approximately 235 pounds
for the Blaydes fight.
„My main focus is my speed,” he said. “I don’t want to be heavier
and lose it.”
“Malhadinho” also shared that he has accepted an invitation from
Daniel
Cormier, one of his idols, to train at American Kickboxing
Academy.
„On the day after my fight with Jairzinho [Rozenstruik],
we met in front of the elevator in the fighter’s hotel and he
invited me to go to AKA,” Almeida said. “It was such an honor for
me. Besides being a two-division champion, he was also a captain of
the American wrestling team.
“I have no doubt it will be a hell of an experience to go there.
Also, my trainer is a huge fan of Khabib [Nurmagomedov], and he
dreams of going to Dagestan. If Khabib invites us, we could go
straight from AKA.”