‘They want to see me at the top’ – Jailton Almeida pleased with Rozenstruik pairing

Heavyweight Jailton Almeida feels like he could be the next big thing in the UFC. Following four finishes in the promotion, the Brazilian believed it was time for a step up in competition and called out Marcyn Tybura on Twitter. However, much to his surprise, ‘Malhadinho’ ended up with a better pairing, number 9 Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

“Hey, Marcin Tybura. I just watched your fight? Let’s fight next? Everyone likes seeing two heavy grapplers fighting. We’re close in the rankings and I fought two weeks ago. I think May would be the perfece time. Ready?”. Jailton tweeted while also tagging matchmaker Mick Maynard.

In an interview with Ag Fight, Almeida explained the idea to call out Tybura came from his manager, who picked Tybura thinking it was worth taking the chance. However, when they got Rozenstruik, it made Malhadinho think the UFC is starting the value his skills and the type of fight the Brazilian always brings.

“It was nice (getting Rozenstruik instead of Tybura). We actually made a shot in the dark. My manager, Leo Pateira, shot his shot and it landed better than what we expected. We got the ninth heavyweight in the rankings. I believe Tybura is number 10, if I’m not mistaken. So we’re one step closer and I see that the company is working with us. The UFC has been enjoying my fights. There’s not another heavyweight who is built like me, with my style. The UFC prioritizes that and they want to see me at the top.”

Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Almeida (18-2) scored finishes over Danilo Marques, Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj and most recently, Shamil Abdurakhimov. Before joining the UFC, the 31-year-old was on a nine-fight streak, all finishes. The Brazilian’s last loss took place in January 2018, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Bruno Assis.