UFC Sao Paulo: Ibirapuera Arena; Sao Paulo, Brazil
No matter how you cut it, a win is a win. And while Jailton Almeida kept his red hot winning streak going (now at 15); avoiding damage leads to it. Although it was far from a pretty performance if ground control isn’t your thing. There were many times that referee MARC GODDARD could have easily stood up Almeida and Derrick Lewis. But he chose not to. Almeida finished with six-for-thirteen takedowns, where he was just blanketing “The Black Beast”.
He did attempt multiple submissions, but the Texas native has improved defensively. It was a case of the grappler out testing the striker. And although post-fight Almeida called out Ciryl Gane it’s not likely to happen.
He just didn’t force the issue but taking any risks. Playing it safe doesn’t get you sitting at nine in the rankings a fight with number-one. And to be honest; despite the solid ground game in the biggest fight in your career might not get you a bump in the rankings either. Curtis Blaydes was originally supposed to fight Almeida. Perhaps that is a way that Dana White decides to go. Or perhaps there’s a different target for now in mind.
Avoiding Damage Leads To A Hard Call For Next Fight
Sure, Almeida is undefeated in the UFC at 6-0, and 20-2 overall. But he’s still a massive question. There have been just FOUR Brazilian heavyweights to make the jump to star level status. Fabricio Werdum, JDS, Big Nog, Pedro Rizzo. There’s no doubt Almeida wants to join that list.
Having Lewis in so many compromised positions and not going for the kill-shot takes away a bit of the mystique. So perhaps if not someone that can match him on the ground in Blaydes, someone that provides a bigger riddle to solve is best next. While he rode the most dominate knock-out artist in UFC history, doing that to Alexander Volkov might not be as easy.
His size alone would be a tough riddle to solve. For someone with his height getting a takedown would be work. And when he is on his back, Volkov is a bit more active and doesn’t usually accept the position. And with that size, Almeida would face getting clipped trying to get inside. No doubt it would be a real David versus Goliath type battle.
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