A Man on the Cusp

While Jailton Almeida has not yet progressed beyond the person-of-interest stage in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division, he could soon force his way into the circle of contention.

The 31-year-old Brazilian will put his 12-fight winning streak on the line when he toes the line against Shamil Abdurakhimov in a three-round UFC 283 prelim on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Almeida has delivered all 17 of his professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, 13 of them inside one round. Not surprisingly, expectations have begun to build.

“I don’t feel extra pressure,” Almeida told Sherdog.com. “Anything can happen in the UFC. It’s full of experienced guys. I’m yet another dangerous fighter in our weight class. My game is very dangerous, and I’m aware of all the challenges ahead.”

The Galpao da Luta representative made the jump from regional prospect to the big leagues in 2021, when he submitted Nasrudin Nasrudinov with a second-round rear-naked choke on Dana White’s Contender Series and locked down his spot on the UFC roster. Dominant wins over Danilo Marques, Parker Porter and Anton Turkalj followed inside the Octagon. His rear-naked choke submission of Turkalj at UFC 279 in September netted Almeida a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

“It’s the result of my work,” Almeida said. “At my academy, we say that hard work equals beautiful results. I felt I could have won bonuses in all three of my fights last year, but that’s fine. It doesn’t affect my performances. During this past year and a half, my life changed. I can finally make a living from the sport alone. Before, I had to teach classes. I still have far to go. I haven’t conquered all the goals in my mind, but some things have improved. Thankfully, it’s all going well.”

The seasoned and battle-hardened Abdurakhimov stands as his next hurdle.

“He’s not in the rankings by accident,” Almeida said. “I’ve been doing great work at my academy and in the UFC. I never stop training. I really enjoy it. Everything great that happened to me last year was the result of all the work I put in.”

The 41-year-old Abdurakhimov has fallen on hard times of late, having suffered three straight defeats. He has not competed since he succumbed to first-round punches from Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Fight Night 204 on March 19. Abdurakhimov’s recent struggles notwithstanding, Almeida respects what he brings to the table.

“Shamil is super dangerous,” he said. “He’s very experienced and has beaten great fighters. We’re training with that in mind. I know he allows himself to be taken down. He doesn’t get up quickly. Since I’m very versatile on the ground, we’ll probably get him down and go for a submission or ground-and-pound, but he’s experienced and I’m the new guy. Let’s see what happens.”

Should all go according to plan for Almeida, a victory over Abdurakhimov would likely serve as a springboard into the Top 15. There, even more lucrative opportunities await.

“My plans are to get ranked,” Almeida said. “Hopefully that will happen with a win; and I’d like to keep going up the rankings, so I can get to the belt. It’s the wish of any up-and-comer in the UFC.”