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It turns out heavyweights will headline UFC Charlotte on May 13th.
A previously reported heavyweight contest between Jairzinho Rozenstruick and Jailton Almeida has now been officially announced as the main event for UFC’s upcoming spring event at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.
The announcement came as a surprise to many, as it was expected that light heavyweights Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker would serve as the top bout for the card. That bout has since been moved to the co-main event.
Smith vs. Walker now UFC Charlotte co-main
“The UFC contacted my manager yesterday and said we were getting bumped to co-main event and the fight would now be three rounds,” Anthony Smith said in a statement to MMA Fighting.
“I wasn’t told who the new main event would be. It is what it is. First fight of the night, last fight of the night or somewhere in between — it makes no difference to me. I’m focused on only myself and the things I can control.”
Almeida earned this main event spot at UFC Charlotte after a highly successful rookie year with the promotion. The 31-year-old scored four consecutive finish wins within his first twelve months with the promotion, competing at both heavyweight and light heavyweight.
His last victory came at UFC 283 earlier this year when he put away Shamil Abdurakhimov in the second round with strikes.
‘Bigi Boy’ is certainly no stranger to main events. He has headlined a total of four UFC cards since joining the promotion in 2019.
Rozenstruick is currently riding the momentum of a 23-second victory over Chris Daukaus in late 2022. He had a pair of losses at heavyweight heading into that bout after initially streaking into the title contender’s picture.
The event is set to be UFC’s first appearance in Charlotte since early 2018. The promotion has visited the city a total of four times, including twice during the mid-1990s.
UFC Charlotte fight card
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida
- Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker
- Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Tainara Lisboa
- Matt Brown vs. Court McGee
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
- Bryan Battle vs. Gabe Green
- Douglas d’Silva vs. Cody Stamann
- Kim Ji-yeon vs. Mandy Bohm
- Daniel Rodriguez vs. Ian Garry
- Carlos Ulberg vs. Ihor Potieria
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