The Brazilian heavyweight has a professional record of 22-5, with a UFC record of 8-3 and is currently ranked No. 8 at heavyweight. Almeida becomes the fourth heavyweight in the past year to be cut by the UFC, with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Martin Buday and Alexandr Romanov all being shown the door. Despite not being a strong division blessed with depth, Dana White and co seem to be going cold in the heavyweight division as of late.
Jailton Almeida removed from the UFC
Recent UFC run
This news comes as a surprise to many after Jailton Almeida recently announced a move to light heavyweight in an attempt to rediscover his lost form. Prior to his recent back-to-back losses, the Brazilian was a dominant force in the UFC’s premier division.
Almeida burst onto the scene after a phenomenal performance in the Contender Series, going 6-0, including wins over Rozenstruik and former title challenger Derrick Lewis.
He suffered his first promotion loss at the hands of Curtis Blaydes in 2024. After a dominant first round, Blaydes was able to turn the tables on Almedia and finish him early in the second round.
Almeida would bounce back with back-to-back finishes, including a night-winning TKO performance against Serghei Spivac.
However, his last two outings have been extremely flat. Almeida took on Alexander Volkov at a crucial time in the heavyweight division and was so risk-averse that it became boring. He achieved an impressive seven takedowns; however, did nothing with it. He was on top of Volkov, clocked 10:47 control time, but only 27 hits and only 33 attempts. Almeida should be reminded that this is a damages case. The more damage, the more likely you are to win a fight.
It’s worth remembering that he intervened at short notice against Rizvan Kuniev last weekend to save the Russian’s place on the card. It is also worth noting that he is a proven drug check in Kunjev. The performance was extremely lackluster and is not something anyone will watch again. However, was this the reason Jailton Almeida was suspended?
He still has a lot to offer the UFC heavyweight or light heavyweight division and it seems tough. Yes, he’s 0-2, but let’s not forget that Tai Tuivasa is still on the UFC roster…
Austen Lane 1-4 in the UFC, boring fights.
Tai Tuivasa 6 losses on the bounce, terrible final fight.
At 205, Jamahal Hill 0-3 with a terrible final fight.
Aleksandar Rakic 4 losses on the bounce, 3 finishes.MAKE IT MAKE SENSE https://t.co/jf29TzqOza
— Frazer Krohn (@frazerkrohn_) February 12, 2026
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