Jailton Almeida has moved closer to a heavyweight title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a commanding wrestling display against Derrick Lewis at the UFC Fight Night 231 main event in Sao Paulo. Almeida’s ground game was dominant throughout the fight, with Almeida (20-2), also known as “Malhadinho”, managing to control Lewis (27-12) with calm assurance. Despite Almeida having finished 12 fights by submission in his career, he chose to opt for a careful approach against the powerful Lewis.
Despite his victory, the 32-year-old Brazilian left room for more intense effort on his performance. Almedia spent most of his time in the fight not risking too much to finish Lewis. Referee Marc Goddard even warned Almeida several times to work more, but he restrained his efforts to check Lewis, who weighs 265 pounds.
Almeida was able to control most of the 25 minutes and staggered Lewis with a head kick in the first round. Lewis managed to create a few opportunities to use his formidable skills, but Almeida quickly restored control. Despite his the win, Almeida’s place in the heavyweight bracket remains uncertain. With fighters Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall vying for the interim title at UFC 295 and Jon Jones’ return highly anticipated, Almeida is not the top priority. For now, he is looking to set up a match with Ciryl Gane, the No. 1 ranked contender.
Despite his age, 38-year-old Nicolas Dalby proved that power strikes the last with an exhilarating second-round comeback knockout against Gabriel Bonfim. Even though Dalby was behind on points, he was more than willing to exchange blows with Bonfim. The fight saw an unexpected turn when Dalby overpowered Bonfim with a series of knees and closed the match with an array of punches, forcing the referee to intervene. In a heavyweight fight, Rodrigo Nascimento and Don’Tale Mayes maintained a standing fight where Nascimento found success with long-range punches and calf kicks. Despite all this, he still managed to win the match through his sharpness and better conditioning.