Charlotte, NC — Heavyweight Jailton Almeida has been racing through his UFC career thus far, racking up wins at breakneck speed.
On Saturday at UFC Charlotte — which will air in front a potentially huge audience on broadcast network ABC — Alemeida (18-2) goes up against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, in what will be the Brazilian heavyweight’s first main event.
“Honestly things have been going pretty quickly. I have like a year and change in the organization, and not only being in a main event but being ranked and everything that has happened since I got in— everything has been going pretty quick,” Almeida acknowledged during Wednesday’s media day. “I really appreciate the organization for giving me the opportunity.”
It’s not just Almeida’s career that has played out quickly. Rather, the 2021 Contender Series winner’s fights themselves are often over in a flash, with the heavyweight rarely leaving the first round.
Despite this, he feels no pressure to chase the finish or get things done early, Almeida explained. “I don’t think there’s any pressure, I’m always ready for the full length of the fight. For this one, I’ve trained everything for five rounds. But I guess the style is more effective than most; I just get to the finish.”
“We are very finish oriented, that’s what we’re always looking for, no matter if it’s the first round, the firth round, whenever it happens, whenever we get a chance to do it. I don’t think there’s any pressure or anything. It’s just something that goes with the flow.”
Speaking of training, Almeida is well-versed on opponent Jairzinho Rozenstruik. He knows exactly what the heavyweight from Suriname brings to the table.
“We know what he does, he’s a very good striker, very dangerous striker so we have to be super-careful with that. He does present a lot of risk,” admitted Almeida. “But my grappling is way above average, I think I might be one of the best in the division grappling-wise. I know that if I can take him to the ground, I can have the advantage and I can look for the finish there.”
Watch the full UFC Charlotte media day appearance by Jailton Alemida above.
