Jailton Almeida Hopes to Be Top 5 UFC Heavyweight By End of 2023

After three first-round finishes in as many Octagon appearances, Jailton Almeida figures to be a fan favorite for the Brazilian audience at UFC 283.

Thanks to his admiration for the Khabib Nurmagomedov’s style and his penchant for taking down and dominanting opponents, “Malhadinho” is now being called “Malhadomedov” in his home country. Almedia got his “Malhadinho” moniker because his father was a boxer known as “Malhado” during his fighting career.

"Brazilian fans are really funny they gave a nickname to my nickname,” Almeida told Sherdog.com. “But I’m really honored by that. As I said before, I admire [Khamzat] Chimaev and Khabib´s game, but I added jiu-jitsu to that. Instead of just punishing my opponent, I always go for the submission.”

Almeida, who owns a 17-2 professional mark, isn’t resting on his laurels. He is expecting a tough fight against UFC 283 opponent Shamil Abdurakhimov, who enters the bout on a three-fight losing streak.

"He is coming off defeats to top ranked guys like [Curtis] Blaydes, [Chris] Daukaus and [Sergei] Pavlovich,” Almeida said. “I have no doubt it will be a tough fight. Because of that I’m training harder than ever, because a clear win will lead me to the Top 15 ranking.”

The Bahia, Brazil, native believes his Dagestani adversary has two key weaknesses.

"Blaydes exposed a weakness that when he is taken down, he gives up his back, while Daukaus and Pavlovich exposed his weak chin,” Almeida said. “The plan is to work on both earn my fourth [UFC] win and finally reach the rankings.”

 If he is victorious at UFC 283, Almeida has two potential opponents in mind for his next Octagon appearance.

"My focus is 100% on Shamil now,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t thought about the next step, but looking at the heavyweight rankings, [Marcin] Tybura or Jairzinho [Rozenstruik] would be great challenges. My goal is be a Top 5 [heavyweight] by the end of 2023.”