Jailton Almeida set for first MMA fight since surprising UFC release

Former UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida will look to begin a potential fight back to the promotion in an upcoming main event.

After back-to-back controversial losses to Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev, the UFC opted to cut ties with promising heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida earlier this year. Almeida, before a knockout loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299, was seen as a potential future heavyweight title challenger.

The Dana White’s Contender Series alum Almeida won his first six UFC fights before the Blaydes loss, including wins over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Shamil Abdurakhimov. Despite recent wins over Serghei Spivac and Alexander Romanov, Almeida wasn’t re-signed after his contract expired earlier this year.

Almeida was quickly signed as a free agent following his UFC release, and will headline an upcoming card against a veteran on an eight-fight win streak.

Jailton Almeida set to headline ACA 207 in first fight since February UFC release

As announced by Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), a top Russian MMA promotion, Almeida will headline ACA 207 against Evgeny Goncharov on September 12th.

Goncharov returns to ACA after recent wins over Tony Johnson Jr., Khadis Ibragimov, and Adam Bogatyrev in the cage. The former ACA heavyweight champion has been with the promotion since 2019.

Almeida could potentially work his way back to the UFC’s heavyweight division if he goes on another win streak outside of the promotion. At a time when the heavyweight division is arguably thin of top-tier talent, Almeida could be called upon in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, Almeida will look to put on another statement performance against Goncharov in September as he looks to snap a two-fight skid. He’s seeking his first win since UFC 311.

Do you think Jailton Almeida could fight his way back to the UFC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!