Jailton Almeida’s tenure with the UFC is coming to an unexpected end. After back-to-back losses and a decision defeat to Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Vegas 113, the promotion has opted to release the former heavyweight contender, closing the chapter on a run that once saw him heading towards title contention.
Laerte Vianna was the first to break the news.
Almeida (22-5) suffered his second consecutive loss on Saturday evening, dropping a decision to Rizvan Kuniev. The setback followed a split-decision loss to Alexander Volkov last October.
The former ranked heavyweight had announced plans to return to the light heavyweight division, but the promotion appears to have taken the decision out of his hands.
Almeida entered the UFC in 2021 after a win over Nasrudin Nasrudinov and quickly made an impact. He racked up five consecutive wins, all in the end, and emerged as a breakout contender in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.
A loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299 ended that surge, although Almeida rebounded with two more finishes before his recent skid. Although dominant during his early run, a series of disappointing performances seemed to cool the fans’ enthusiasm, and the defeat to Kuniev ultimately proved to be the turning point for the promotion.
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