Newark, NJ — Jailton Almeida returns at UFC 302 this Saturday, looking to get back on the horse after a disappointing loss to Curtis Blaydes in Miami back in March.
That UFC 299 fight saw Almeida knocked out early in the second round, but at the UFC 302 media day on Wednesday, the Brazilian heavyweight suggested he hadn’t suffered any injuries in the fight.
“About ten days after the fight, I was already training. Felt good, basically as soon as I felt good— there was absolutely no, I had no injuries from that fight,” Almeida (20-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press. “Felt really good, and as soon as I felt okay I just told my manager, call the UFC and say that I’m ready to go because I want to be back and on the stage again.”
This time out Almeida will face Alexander Romanov, though that wasn’t always the plan. Originally the UFC had paired up Almeida and another Alexander, Russian Alexander Volkov, a fight that was widely reported at the time.
“We were set for Volkov, and we were preparing for Volkov for about a week and a half, we had to re-start the camp for him, all with him in focus,” noted Almeida. “We got word from the UFC that it was going to be Romanov.” Even begore that, with Volkov having been publicly linked to a fight with Sergei Pavlovich, Almeida had an idea that a change might be coming.
Still, “there was no talk or not much of a questioning, [or] opening there. We got an e-mail basically saying ‘this is what’s happening.’ All I wanted to do is just go back and fight.”
Almeida is not complaining, however. “I’ve always stood by my word on this. An employee of the UFC, we’re here to provide a service. We’re not here to choose opponents. If you tell me I’ve got a fight, I’m in. We’re here to fight.”
Watch the full UFC 302 media day appearance by Jailton Almeida above.
