Jailton Jesus Almeida Junior (born June 28, 1991) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

divisions in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. As of January 24, 2023, he is #14 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Background

Born in the Brotas neighborhood of Salvador, where he lives to this day, he first became interested in football, while accompanying his father through the rings. While Jailton's first dream was to be a soccer player, the reality was hard on him and his financial condition became an obstacle after he was required to acquire R$10,000 to join a soccer club. He ended up going into the world of fights following his father's footsteps, with Almeida beginning training boxing at the age of six, picking up

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

at 11. He eventually started training mixed martial arts as his jiu-jitsu training partners were training it. There, financial difficulties also imposed themselves, with Jailton coming to work as a doorman and guard, while his dream of being a fighter did not come true. The son of divorced parents and with 11 siblings, his older brother Alexandre disappeared one day after being involved with a criminal syndicate and was never seen again.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

To start his professional mixed martial arts career, Almeida racked a 13–2 record in Brazilian regional circuit.

Dana White's Contender Series

After claiming the Thunder Fight title, Almeida was invited to face Nasrudin Nasrudinov at Dana White's Contender Series 39 on September 14, 2021. He won the bout via second-round submission and was awarded a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Almeida was scheduled to make his promotional debut against

Danilo Marques Danilo Marques (born December 26, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Marques started doing taekwondo for fun when h ...

on November 13, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 197 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However Marques required surgery so the bout was rescheduled for February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 200. Almeida won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Move up to heavyweight

As his sophomore appearance in the organization, Almeida was scheduled to face

Maxim Grishin Maxim Anthony Grishin (born May 2, 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Grishin was the former M-1 Global Eastern Europe Heavyweight Champion ...

on May 21, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 206 ''UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 206'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 64'' or ''UFC Vegas 55'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 21, 2022, at the UFC Apex f ...

. However, Grishin pulled out due to undisclosed reasons in late April. Almeida decided to move up to heavyweight to face

Parker Porter Parker Frederick Porter (born April 22, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Porter played baseball, lacrosse and football in his youth. After high s ...

. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in round one. As the first bout of his new contract, Almeida was scheduled to face

Shamil Abdurakhimov Shamil Gentovich Abdurakhimov (born September 2, 1981) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently fighting in the heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 13, 2022, he is #14 in the UFC heavywe ...

UFC 279 ''UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

on September 10, 2022. However, Abdurakhimov was forced to withdraw due to visa issues and was replaced by Anton Turkalj at a catchweight of 220 pounds. He dominated the bout, taking down Turkalj and submitting him at the end of the first round via rear-naked choke. He received his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. The bout against

was rebooked for

UFC 280 ''UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A UFC Lightweight Champions ...

on October 22, 2022. With that date also falling through, the pair was re-booked for a third time at

UFC 283 ''UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on January 21, 2023, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event will mark the p ...

. Almeida won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. With this win, he received the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award.

Championships and accomplishments

(Two times) *Fight On MMA **FON Light Heavyweight Championship (one time) *Thunder Fight **Thunder Fight Light Heavyweight Championship (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

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Ildemar Alcântara Ildemar Alcântara Cardoso (; born 7 November 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has formerly competed in the UFC and is the younger brothe ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Almeida, Jailton 1991 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu