After submitting Nasrudin
Nasrudinov to earn a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series,
Jailton
Almeida impressed yet again in his Octagon debut with a
first-round TKO of Danilo
Marques at UFC Fight Night 200.
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Almeida was originally slated to meet Maxim
Grishin in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 206 on
Saturday before his opponent withdrew as a result of an injury.
Instead, he’ll move up a weight class in order to remain on the
card.
“Mick Maynard offered us an opportunity at heavyweight against
Parker
Porter and since I want to be active, I decided to accept,”
Almeida told Sherdog.com.
A self-proclaimed fan of Khabib
Nurmagomedov and Khamzat
Chimaev, Almeida revealed that fighting Porter is part of his
plan to follow in Chimaev’s footsteps.
“In our last interview I told you I want to be the Khabib
Nurmagomedov of 205-pound division,” he said. “But I also want
to be just like Chimaev, fighting in two divisions. The opportunity
Maynard gave us was great to show I can be competitive in both
divisions.”
The son of a professional boxer, “Malhadinho” began training when
he was 6 years old. By 11, he began jiu-jitsu and was considered
the best brown belt in his state (Bahia) before receiving his black
belt. Against Porter, Almeida wants to show his skill in all
areas.
“No doubt Parker is a tough opponent, very aggressive,” Almeida
said. “Unlike most heavyweights, he likes to take opponents down,
but he will have no easy time with me. No matter whether it’s in
the standup or on the ground, I’m going to look for the knockout or
submission. I’m going for ‘Performance of the Night.’”