UFC Charlotte went down last night (Sat., May 13, 2023) inside Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., featuring a Heavyweight fight between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida. And it didn’t take long for Almeida to make the biggest statement of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career, submitting “Bigi Boy” in the very first round with an impressive rear-naked choke (see it again here). In the co-main event, Johnny Walker dominated Anthony Smith to earn his third straight win.
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Biggest Winner: Jailton Almeida
The rest of the Heavyweight division has a serious problem with Almeida because the 31-year old Brazilian bomber has now won five straight fights inside the Octagon, 14 in a row overall. After suffering his last loss in Jan. 2018, Almeida has gone on to finish every single opponent in front of him since, 11 of them in the very first round. He should crack the Top 10 following his latest win, and a few more victories such as this one will have him in the Top 5 in no time. Almeida’s presence is a welcomed site for the 265-pound division because it could use all the rising talent it can get to create fresh, intriguing matchups.
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Runner Up: Ian Machado Garry
The Garry hype train just keeps on chugging along following yet another big-time stoppage victory from the Irish brawler, who took out Daniel Rodriguez in the very first round via technical knockout (TKO). Garry improved to 12-0, 5-0 inside the Octagon, and has surely earned himself a spot in the Top 15. That means that the challenges will only get tougher for the rising 25-year old contender, which will elevate his stock and help his progression as a potential next big star for the promotion. His performance also banked him his first-ever $50,000 post-fight bonus award.
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Biggest Loser: Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Rozenstruik’s woes just keep adding up. Sure, he was coming in with a knockout win over Chris Daukaus, but his latest loss puts him at a paltry 1-3 in his last four fights. Since 2020, he is just 3-5, which will likely cost him a spot (or three) in the rankings. “Bigi Boy” hasn’t been able to consistently replicate the magic that made him a threat early on in his UFC tenure, so he will have to go back to the drawing board to figure it all out again.
For complete UFC Charlotte results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.