With the UFC heavyweight division currently in limbo, rising contender Jailton Almeida believes his next fight should be against interim champion Tom Aspinall.
After undisputed heavyweight king Jon Jones was forced out of his UFC 295 scrap with Stipe Miocic, the UFC booked an interim title tilt between Aspinall and Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich. It only took 69 seconds for the UK star to score a stunning KO to claim the temporary title.
With news that the UFC will still move forward with Jones vs. Miocic once ‘Bones’ is cleared to return, Aspinall has been wondering where exactly that leaves him in the grand scheme of things.
Not interested in sitting on the sidelines for another year, Aspinall could find himself looking for a fight in the interim.
Jailton Almeida would like to be the guy that keeps him busy.
“Against Ciryl Gane would be ideal, but Tom Aspinall already spoke to the media or whoever and is already talking about a fight with Jailton,” Almeida told MMAjunkie.com. So, I think probably the Tom Aspinall fight will come first. It will be a very good fight because Tom Aspinall is a complete fighter. He has really good movement. I see myself as an equal in the sense that it would be a good, fair fight. It would be for the future of the category. It’s going to be the future fight for the title.”
Jailton Almeida Believes Jon Jones is Still the Best Heavyweight in the world
Almeida has won 15 straight fights dating back to 2018, including six in a row inside the Octagon. In November, ‘Malhadinho’ landed a decisive unanimous decision victory over fan favorite Derrick Lewis.
Though Almeida sees himself and Tom Aspinall as the future of the heavyweight division, he can’t deny that Jon Jones is still the best in the world, for now.
“Jon Jones is still the best in the division. I believe Tom Aspinall could eventually get there, but for me, there is no doubt that Jon Jones is still No. 1,” Almeida added.