UFC Charlotte was an exciting fight card for the Charlotte, North Carolina fight fans. It was a fight card where we saw the emergence of heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida. He absolutely dominated his toughest opposition to date in Jairzinho Rozenstruik with a first-round rear-naked choke submission.
Another day, another submission win for Jailton Almeida pic.twitter.com/qDEugtKtXD
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 13, 2023
Almeida makes it look effortlessly when he takes his opponents down and chokes them out. He now has a submission victory in four-straight fights and finished all five of his fights in his UFC career. Jailton Almeida now has half as many submission victories as Frank Mir who holds the record for the most submission victories in UFC heavyweight history with 8.
Now that Almeida is in the top-10 he has the ability to be fast-tracked to a potential title shot. The heavyweight division is extremely thin that Almeida may only need two or three more wins before he gets his shot at gold around his waist. Let's take a look at what is next for Jailton Almeida.
Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
This would be a good step up for Almeida against someone that has some sort of grappling abilities. He has been able to take down and dominate heavyweight fighters that have been just atrocious at defending takedowns.
This fight will certainly show the fans if he is the real deal because just like Almeida, Spivac does his best work when he is utilizing his grappling, top control, and ground and pound.
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov is the gatekeeper into the elite of the heavyweight division. If Almeida is able to beat him, he should only be one more fight away from a title shot. Volkov possesses a striking threat that Almeida has yet to have to deal with in his career as he is the tallest and longest of any other fighter in the division.
His length and stature help him keep his fights upright and at his preferred striking range where he is able to utilize his kicks. If Almeida would be able to do what he did against Rozenstruik to Volkov that would be extremely impressive.
Jailton Almeida vs. Tai Tuivasa
We know that Tai Tuivasa has the same issues as Almeida's previous opponents but he has that power that is his equalizer. He is also more athletic and faster than Rozenstruik which will make it harder for Almeida to just shoot for his ankles like he did this past Saturday.
His thunderous calf kicks will make it difficult to stand for long periods of time for Almeida as well. This matchup may be a bit easier in terms of takedown defense but much harder on the feet because of the power that Tuivasa possesses, unlike Volkov and Spivac.
Follow Us
Subscribe