Jailton Almeida

Scouting report

Jailton Almeida was born in Salvador, Bahia, started boxing at six and jiu-jitsu at 11, and holds a BJJ black belt. He worked as a doorman and guard while building his fighting career and trains with LG System. In the UFC he won his first six fights, five of them by finish, and went 8-3 overall. On November 4, 2023 he held Derrick Lewis on the mat for 21:10, which the record lists as a UFC heavyweight control-time record.

Peak ratings

By edition

Jailton Almeida: a Salvador jiu-jitsu heavyweight with four bonuses

Almeida debuted at UFC Fight Night in February 2022 with a first-round TKO of Danilo Marques, then moved to heavyweight in May by choking Parker Porter. UFC.com ranked him second among 2022's newcomers. Four of his wins earned Performance of the Night. On March 9, 2024 Curtis Blaydes ended his run with a second-round knockout, and in October 2025 Alexander Volkov beat him on a split decision at UFC 321. The UFC released him on February 11, 2026, and he signed with Absolute Championship Akhmat ten days later.

Almeida, attribute by attribute

Boxing. 82. Marques was stopped with punches at 2:57 of round one in February 2022, and Serghei Spivac at 4:53 of round one in January 2025.

Kickboxing. 72, the weak side of his game. Blaydes knocked him out with punches 36 seconds into round two at UFC Fight Night in March 2024.

Wrestling. 94. He landed nine takedowns in round one against Blaydes, a heavyweight record, and his 69.9 percent control time is fourth in UFC history.

BJJ. 95, his best. Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj and Jairzinho Rozenstruik all lost by rear-naked choke, and Alexander Romanov did too at 2:27 of round one in June 2024.

Strength. 91. Shamil Abdurakhimov was stopped by punches at 2:56 of round two in January 2023, a Performance of the Night.

Durability. 84. Turkalj, at a 220 pound catchweight, and Rozenstruik lasted until 4:27 and 3:43 of round one.

Cardio. 90. He went five rounds with Lewis in November 2023 and won a unanimous decision.

Fight IQ. 88. The Lewis decision in November 2023 was his sixth straight UFC win.

BJJ at 95 and 21 minutes of top control

Lewis was held down for 21:10, and Blaydes was taken down nine times in a single round. Five of his first six UFC wins ended by finish, and he beat Porter, Turkalj, Rozenstruik and later Romanov with the same choke.

Kickboxing at 72 and a late run of losses

Blaydes knocked him out 36 seconds into round two after Almeida had taken him down nine times in the first, a reminder that one clean exchange can undo a long round of control. Volkov won a split decision at UFC 321 in a fight described as a possible title eliminator, and Rizvan Kuniev won a unanimous decision in February 2026, after which the UFC released him. The record lists a later unanimous decision loss to Evgeniy Goncharov at ACA 207. A striker in another slot covers the gap.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Jailton Almeida is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Jailton Almeida's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.