The UFC is returning to Sao Paulo, Brazil in November and they are bringing an absolute banger in the main event. MMA Junkie was the first to report this afternoon that top Brazilian heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida (19-2) will take on perennial top contender Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (17-4).
The matchup headlines the UFC’s return to Sao Paulo that is currently scheduled for November 4th. This is a massive fight for both men as they look to move closer towards a shot at heavyweight gold. For Curtis Blaydes, this headliner will be about redemption.
Blaydes just fought Sergei Pavlovich in a headliner last month. Entering the bout, Blaydes was 7-1 in his previous eight bouts with the lone loss coming against Derrick Lewis. Unfortunately, Blaydes chose to strike with Pavlovich and got knocked out. Now, he’ll look to derail the Almeida hype train.
UFC Sao Paulo
After earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Almeida was going to focus on the light heavyweight division in the UFC. However, after fighting up in weight, he decided to stay at heavyweight despite being a little undersized.
The size disadvantage has yet to play out inside the octagon. In fact, Almeida has ran through the competition thus far in the UFC’s heavyweight division and hasn’t even seen a scorecard. Overall, he’s 5-0 inside the octagon with five finishes. He’s only seen the second round once.
Most recently, he headlined UFC Charlotte against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. He was able to take Rozenstruik down and once he got him to the mat, the fight was essentially over. He moved through Rozenstruik’s guard and submitted him. Blaydes is the biggest test yet, but a passing grade in this fight could net him a UFC title shot.