Jailton Almeida expressed genuine surprise mixed with happiness upon hearing UFC CEO Dana White`s announcement confirming Jon Jones`s official retirement. This development paved the way for Tom Aspinall to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion, finally resolving a significant bottleneck in the division. Now, “Malhadinho” is hopeful that this opens the door for him to face Aspinall for the championship.
Almeida recently bounced back from his only UFC loss with dominant performances, securing consecutive first-round finishes against Alexandr Romanov and Serghei Spivac. Ahead of him in the current official UFC rankings are Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich, and Curtis Blaydes.
Looking at the other contenders: Gane`s last fight was a closely contested split decision win over Volkov in December 2024. Blaydes was quickly defeated by Aspinall in just 60 seconds before earning a split decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku last weekend. Pavlovich, who previously lost to Aspinall for the interim title in late 2023, is scheduled to compete against Waldo Cortes-Acosta in August.
“We are optimistic,” Almeida stated to MMA Fighting. “Honestly, I`m the only fighter in the division who is actually calling for a fight with Tom Aspinall. If you look around, Volkov isn`t asking for it. Ciryl Gane is focused on shooting movies, and Pavlovich has already fought him and is booked for another bout. I`m the only logical choice left, and I`m actively challenging him.”
Aspinall has mentioned Almeida as a potential opponent in the past, among others. However, the Brazilian contender argues that no other heavyweight is being as vocal or persistent as he is about securing this opportunity.
“I follow Tom Aspinall on Instagram and study all his training footage; it`s become part of my routine homework,” Almeida revealed. “I`m the one consistently talking about him, sending messages, posting on Twitter, utilizing social media to build momentum for this fight. That`s how these things gain traction. I don`t see anyone else publicly challenging Tom Aspinall. I am the only one asking to fight him… I`ve heard him mention my name on podcasts, so let`s move forward and sign the contract to make this fight happen.”
Since joining the UFC in 2022, Almeida has compiled an impressive 8-1 record, with all but one of his victories coming via finish. Interestingly, Aspinall boasts an identical 8-1 record in the Octagon, though with a perfect 100 percent finish rate.
“This would be a fantastic fight because our styles have similarities. He`s very fast, which is clearly why he`s the champion,” Almeida observed. “From what I`ve observed, Tom Aspinall hasn`t been tested in a five-round fight; he`s never gone the distance in his career. He appears to tire after the second round. Aspinall has never genuinely had to fight beyond three rounds. In contrast, I`m already training six, even seven rounds in the gym, and I haven`t even started my official fight camp yet.”
“If I get the fight against Tom Aspinall, I plan to take him into the third round to see how he performs under that pressure. But Aspinall is clearly a smart fighter, highly experienced, and has faced tough opponents, so I know I need to approach this intelligently and develop a strong strategy to defeat him. For me, when that cage door closes, it`s going to be a war. And I am fully prepared for a war.”
