UFC 298: Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera continues on the prelims with a fight in the heavyweight division between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida. Blaydes is coming off of a brutal knockout defeat in his last fight meanwhile, Almeida is currently unbeaten in his last 15 fights. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Blaydes-Almeida prediction and pick.
Curtis Blaydes (17-4) is coming off his fourth brutal knockout loss in his career courtesy of former heavyweight interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich. He has had a rough go against the heavyweight sluggers in the UFC but he gets to take on heavyweight phenom who will be looking to possibly submit Blaydes, Jailton Almeida this weekend when he steps inside the octagon at UFC 299.
Jailton Almeida (20-2) has been wreaking havoc in the heavyweight division since his move up to heavyweight when he took on Parker Porter in 2022. He has now gone 5-0 at heavyweight, most recently defeating Derrick Lewis who he just out-grappled for 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. Now, Almeida will be taking on his stiffest competition to date when he takes on the No. 5 ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC 299 Odds: Curtis Blaydes-Jailton Almeida Odds
Curtis Blaydes: -107
Jailton Almeida: -113
Over 1.5 rounds: -155
Under 1.5 rounds: +125
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Why Curtis Blaydes Will Win
Curtis Blaydes is always on the brink of title contention until he's not. He will string together 3-4 wins in a row only to be faced off against a knockout artist who puts his lights out with just one punch. Luckily for him in this matchup, he gets to take on a fellow grappler in the form of Jailton Almeida as he looks to get back into the win column and put himself back into the the title mix.
Blaydes is one of the best wrestlers in the heavyweight division and he's shown that throughout his time in the UFC. His biggest setback has been his durability against the power punchers in the heavyweight division. This time around he gets to take Brazilian standout Jailton Almeida who's a world-class Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who will be looking to take Blaydes down and eventually submit him. This is a fight where Blaydes can show off his striking abilities as long as he can keep it there and if he can do so it looks like he can get himself back on track.
Why Jailton Almeida Will Win
Jailton Almeida has been a one-man wrecking crew since stepping foot inside the octagon winning all six of his fights with four out of the six coming inside the first round. While it wasn't an exciting fight by any stretch, Almeida showed off his dominant grappling and cardio for a full 25 minutes when he out-grappled Derrick Lewis to a wide decision.
Almeida is now going against a mainstay in the top 5 of the heavyweight division Curtis Blaydes who's known for his dominant wrestling. This could be a clash of styles where the grappling cancels itself out and we get to see how well these two fighters do fighting at range. Almeida may not be the best striker but he certainly can hold his own on the feet until he can land the takedown where it could be over rather quickly if he can get it there. If Almeida can get this fight into his wheelhouse can make it seven straight wins inside the octagon and extend his winning streak to 16 wins.
Final Curtis Blaydes-Jailton Almeida Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a great fight between two heavyweight fighters looking to break into the upper echelon and put their name in the mix as potential title challengers. This looks like a fight where Blaydes should be able to showcase his striking abilities against a fighter who's primarily a grappler. For Almeida, this is going to be the toughest test for him just solely based on the fact that Blaydes is the best wrestler he's faced thus far in his career. After looking things over and seeing how this is truly the best grappler that both fighters have faced in their careers I'd have to side with Almeida being the better pure grappler of the two and when he gets one takedown he shortly thereafter transitions to the back and sinks in the rear-naked choke to notch his 13th submission victory of his career.
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Final Curtis Blaydes-Jailton Almeida Prediction & Pick: Jailton Almeida (-113), Under 1.5 Rounds (+125)
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