UFC 283: Jailton Almeida is the fighter to watch

At UFC 283, Jailton Almeida looks to improve his overall MMA record to 18-2-0 as he goes one-on-one with the No. 15 ranked heavyweight, Shamil Abdurakhimov.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, UFC 283 will be taking place live from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The show is set to be headlined by a big light heavyweight title bout between No. 2 Glover Teixeira, and No. 7 Jamahal Hill. The winner will be crowned the new light heavyweight champion, since the original champion, Jiri Prochazka, is currently on the shelf. However, in the prelims, we will finally see the heavyweight bout between unranked Jailton Almeida, and No. 15 Shamil Abdurakhimov. Almeida will be the fighter to watch for at UFC 283.

This fight has been very anticipated since September 2022. It was something fans weren’t sure if they were ever going to see. The two men were supposed to face off in September, and then again in October before both fights were canceled. However, now it seems to be a go with Almeida hoping to make a name for himself in the heavyweight division. Almeida, who has been fighting at light heavyweight, has since made the jump to the heavyweight division and looks to make a name for himself here.

Almeida has won his last four fights in the UFC, including one in the Contender Series, and four out of his last five fights in the MMA. While he is mainly a submission specialist, Almeida can also be as lethal with his fists. With Abdurakhimov, Almeida will need to mainly be focused on his hands and legs as he is a big knockout finisher and is less likely to use submissions.

Jailton Almeida looks to become ranked as he squares off with Abdurakhimov

Coming into this fight, Almeida is currently unranked in the heavyweight division. A win over Abdurakhimov, in all likelihood, could put Almeida in a position to be ranked in the heavyweight division. While Abdurakhimov is no slouch, Almeida could use his submission prowess to finish him off.

Almeida is one of the most underrated fighters out there today. While he has yet to win UFC gold, a win over Abdurakhimov could put him on the rankings for him to work his way up to the top. While it will be a long road, Almeida has a ton of upside and shouldn’t be taken lightly by any of his opponents.