UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida will return to action this month, but it won’t be inside the Octagon.
Two months removed from his impressive five-round shellacking of Derrick Lewis at UFC Sao Paulo, ‘Malhadinho’ will compete under the Demo Fight banner in Brazil. Revealed on the promotion’s official Instagram, Almeida will face Alvaro Borges, a fighter with Down Syndrome, as part of an exhibition bout.
“We know that sport is one of the biggest weapons of social inclusion we have.
“Thinking about it, we decided to present an exhibition fight with the 2023 MMA revelation athlete Jailton Malhadinho ( UFC ) and athlete Alvaro Borges with Down Syndrome.
“We are sure going to be a great show!“
Dating back to 2006, Demo Fight has put on 17 different events over the years, all emanating from Almeida’s home country. The promotion’s latest offering, Demo Fight 18, will feature a slew of homegrown talent in addition to the announced exhibition bout featuring the streaking heavyweight standout.
Jailton Almeida Continues to climb the UFC heavyweight rankings
Since appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Jailton Almeida has established himself as a potential UFC title challenger, winning six straight fights against the likes of Shamil Abdurakhimov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and the aforementioned Derrick Lewis.
Originally, Almeida was expected to square off with Curtis Blaydes in November, but an injury forced ‘Razor’ out of the matchup. The bout has since been rescheduled for UFC 299 on March 9.
Currently sitting as the No. 7 ranked heavyweight, a win over Blaydes would likely push him into the division’s top five and put him within reach of his first shot at UFC gold.