Jailton Almeida took a distinct path to his most recent Ultimate Fighting Championship victory. Departing from his pattern of defeating his initial five Octagon adversaries within the span of two rounds, “Maladinho” showcased his skill over 25 minutes, dominating Derrick Lewis in UFC Fight Night 231’s main event in Sao Paulo. The triumph marked a significant point in Almeida’s career, leading him to call out former interim title holder Ciryl Gane. This potential match could further escalate his progress within the division.
A statistical review of UFC Fight Night 231 reveals the depth of Almeida’s control throughout the match. Almeida held control of the fight for 21:10 minutes, breaking the UFC record formerly held by Curtis Blaydes at 19:50 minutes. This was a stark contrast to Lewis, who managed only 57 seconds of control time. Additionally, Almeida excelled in his offensive strikes; he succeeded in six out of 15 takedown attempts and attempted four submissions, primarily in the first two rounds.
Moreover, Almeida absorbed 20 significant strikes from Lewis, a marked increase compared to the total of two significant strikes he had received in his prior five UFC weathers. However, Almeida retaliated with 38 of his own significant strikes. In the same vein, Almeida delivered an exceptional number of total strikes, reaching 120 compared to Lewis’s 28. The statistical evidence of Almeida’s dominance continued round by round, with him consistently outperforming Lewis.
The UFC Fight Night 231 showcased many noteworthy performances in addition to Almeida’s record-breaking fight. Among them, Nicolas Dalby’s technical knockout victory against Gabriel Bonfim in their welterweight bout stood out. The match marked Bonfim’s first defeat after 15 successive professional victories. Similarly, the heavyweight bout between Don’Tale Mayes and Rodrigo Nascimento saw Mayes landing 79 significant strikes compared to Nascimento’s 70. Regardless, Nascimento claimed a unanimous win, improving his record against Mayes in the UFC to 2-0. Furthermore, Angela Hill’s triumph over Denise Gomes tied her with Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Carla Esparza for the most victories in the UFC strawweight division’s history.