![Jailton Almeida (left) will look to return to his winning ways against Alexander Volkov (right) [Images courtesy: @malhadinho_ufc on Instagram and Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/03/6e2fa-17114543233949-1920.jpg)
![Jailton Almeida (left) will look to return to his winning ways against Alexander Volkov (right) [Images courtesy: @malhadinho_ufc on Instagram and Getty Images]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jailton Almeida's most recent fight saw him face Curtis Blaydes on the UFC 299 (March 9, 2024) card in Miami, Florida, USA. The Brazilian lost to Blaydes via second-round KO. Almeida is now expected to return just weeks after his defeat. Many in the MMA community have expressed their disapproval of 'Malhadinho' making the quick turnaround.
Almeida's upcoming matchup will see him take on Russia's Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight bout at the UFC 302 event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1, 2024. Leo Guimaraes first reported the news.
A subsequent report by MMA Junkie highlighted that a source confirmed on Monday (March 25, 2024) that Almeida will indeed fight Volkov at UFC 302.
MMA fans have now chimed in on the fight. Multiple X users suggested that Almeida would suffer a one-sided loss at UFC 302, given that he recently suffered a knockout defeat and hasn't had enough time to let his body heal. One X user predicted that 'Drago' would absolutely dominate the Brazilian fighter.
Some fans opined that a Volkov knockout victory or an Almeida submission win would be the likely result of the clash. While one fan opined that the grappling savant would get back to his winning ways, several others emphasized that Volkov's striking is much superior and that 'Malhadinho' lacks the basic stand-up acumen to keep it competitive on the feet.
A fan tweeted:
"How is Almeida not medically suspended?"
Another wrote:
"Interesting fight. Volkov either KO's him or Jailton by submission."
Another added:
"Volkov is going to absolutely smoke Almeida lmfaoooo"
Check out some of the comments below:
A closer look at Jailton Almeida's recent run heading into UFC 302 fight with Alexander Volkov
Prior to his matchup against Curtis Blaydes, Jailton Almeida (20-3 MMA) had won 15 consecutive MMA bouts, with six of those wins coming under the UFC banner. Presently, Almeida holds the No. 7 position in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, while Alexander Volkov (37-10 MMA) stands at the No. 6 spot in the rankings.
Both Jailton Almeida and Alexander Volkov have been beaten by Curtis Blaydes in the past. That said, many view Volkov as a far more experienced fighter than Almeida. Furthermore, the Russian MMA stalwart is currently on a three-fight win streak.
Considering the variables at play, the consensus is that the winner of the Alexander Volkov-Jailton Almeida showdown could possibly earn a fight against a top-five-ranked heavyweight next.
