Jailton Almeida doesn’t think he’s getting a fair shake.
At UFC 321 this past October, Almeida found himself being heavily criticized in a losing effort against Alexander Volkov. Almeida had finished seven of his eight UFC victories heading into that bout, but dropped a decision to Volkov after scoring seven takedowns and grounding Volkov for nearly 11 minutes.
Almeida returns to action in a short-notice clash with Rizvan Kuniev this Saturday at UFC Vegas 113. He has made adjustments in training following the defeat, only his second in 10 UFC bouts, but feels that some criticism of his performance was unfair.
“I see that a lot of people talked about [the fight], saying they didn’t like it, that it was boring and all that, but they say that because I’m Brazilian, right?” Almeida told MMA Fighting. “If it were a foreigner everyone would like it. But life goes on. No matter what, we move forward. A lot of people who are talking wish they were where I am today. That’s how it is. We’re going to get criticism and praise. That’s life, and that’s why we choose this sport.”
Almeida believes other UFC fighters with similar styles, especially wrestling-heavy athletes from Russia, often get a pass for similar performances.
“Honestly, I don’t absorb what the public says,” Almeida said. “I only listen to my coaches, my family, my wife. I don’t even listen to my own relatives when they talk about me because a lot of people wish they were living the moment I’m living today, my life. I’m happy. I still haven’t been able to achieve some of my dreams, but just being in the UFC is already a dream. There are a lot of people out there fighting to get into the UFC and they can’t. I’ve already had 10 fights in the UFC, and I’m very happy with what’s happening in my life.
“If one day the UFC says they don’t want me anymore, I’ll be very satisfied with what I did, what I didn’t do, what I lost, what I gained. That won’t change my life at all. Those who know me know my story. I wasn’t supposed to be an athlete today, I was supposed to be a drug dealer, following the path of my brother, but fortunately God put me on the right path and today I’m here, living this moment.”
The 34-year-old heavyweight admits, however, he didn’t feel “comfortable enough to execute” some moves against Volkov in their October bout, like when Volkov managed to sweep him on the ground to reverse position.
“There were a lot of details where I could have taken risks,” Almeida said, “but my mind froze at that moment, it glitched, and it just didn’t happen. That’s how it is. There were some things about the fight that I liked too, but unfortunately I was supposed to come out with the win.”
“Malhadinho” returned to his native Salvador, Brazil, and rewatched the match twice. Although he admits it wasn’t his best showing, Almeida still feels he should have won the fight after controlling Volkov in rounds two and three.
“But since it was in Abu Dhabi, close to [Russia], with his crowd all there, it would’ve been awkward for him,” Almeida said. “If it were in the United States, I would obviously be winning that fight. If it were in Brazil, I would have won that fight. But that’s how it is. I think it was how God wanted it to be, that loss for me. We’re going to keep moving forward on the journey.”
His UFC Vegas 113 opponent was originally paired up against Ryan Spann in Las Vegas, and Almeida says nobody wanted to fight Kuniev because he’s too tough and well-rounded for an unranked opponent. Kuniev finished Hugo Cunha at Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a deal with the UFC, but dropped a split decision against Curtis Blaydes in his debut.
“He went after the takedown in his fight with Renan ‘Problema’ [Ferreira in PFL],” Almeida said. “I think he’s probably training for this fight with that in mind too since [Spann] had zero ground game. We’ll see how the fight plays out. I’ve already shown some of my striking too, everyone saw that. If you give me the chance, I’ll clinch and take you down. But if he defends the takedown, then we’re going to trade shots on the feet and see what happens.”
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