Jailton Almeida is coming off a split-decision loss to heavyweight veteran Alexander Volkov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi this past October, but “Malhadinho” believes he only lost that fight because it was close to Russia.
This weekend will mark Almeida’s return to action as he meets fellow heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev on the main card of UFC Vegas 113 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be a chance for Almeida to start 2026 off with a bang and regain momentum in the UFC’s shallow heavyweight division. More importantly, this weekend will give Almeida the opportunity to wipe away his loss to Volkov and prove to fight fans he’s not a “boring” fighter.
“I see that a lot of people talked about [the fight], saying they didn’t like it, that it was boring and all that, but they say that because I’m Brazilian, right?” Almeida told MMA Fighting earlier this week. “If it were a foreigner everyone would like it. But life goes on. No matter what, we move forward. A lot of people who are talking wish they were where I am today. That’s how it is. We’re going to get criticism and praise. That’s life, and that’s why we choose this sport.”
Following his loss to Volkov, Almeida ended up watching the fight back a few times to get a real idea of how his performance looked. While Almeida admits that his same aggressiveness wasn’t there he still believes he did enough down the stretch to get the win. However, since the fight was close to Russian it has left Almeida to believe Volkov was awarded the decision due to some good old fashion home cooking.
“But since it was in Abu Dhabi, close to [Russia], with his crowd all there, it would’ve been awkward for him,” Almeida said. “If it were in the United States, I would obviously be winning that fight. If it were in Brazil, I would have won that fight. But that’s how it is. I think it was how God wanted it to be, that loss for me. We’re going to keep moving forward on the journey.”
