Jailton Almeida’s run at heavyweight appears to be over. Following a disappointing showing against Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Vegas 113, the Brazilian contender has decided to return to the light heavyweight division. Jailton Almeida’s managers, Tiago Okamura and Leonardo Pateira, confirmed to MMA Fighting that “Malhadinho” has already informed the UFC of his intention to move back down to 205 pounds.
Almeida stepped in on short notice to replace Ryan Spann against Kuniev on Feb. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The gamble didn’t pay off. Jailton Almeida struggled to impose his grappling-heavy style and dropped a unanimous decision, absorbing 43 significant strikes while landing just 31 of his own.
Criticism followed quickly, as fans and analysts pointed to another low-output performance. In his previous bout, a split decision loss to Alexander Volkov, Almeida landed only nine significant strikes despite controlling top position for more than 11 minutes. Against Kuniev, the lack of urgency again stood out.
Almeida hasn’t competed at light heavyweight since his UFC debut in February 2022, when he stormed into the promotion with a first-round knockout of Danilo Marques in under three minutes. He then moved up to heavyweight, submitting Parker Porter in May of that year before stopping Anton Turkalj in a 220-pound catchweight bout.
Since committing to heavyweight, Jailton Almeida compiled a 5–3 record, picking up notable wins over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Alexandr Romanov, and Serghei Spivac—four of them by stoppage. At one point, he looked like a fast-rising contender with legitimate title potential.
That momentum has faded.
After winning his first six UFC fights, Almeida has now lost three of his last five, including setbacks to Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov, and most recently Kuniev. Those losses have effectively stalled his heavyweight title hopes.
Now, Almeida and his team believe a return to 205 pounds could reset his career.
While neither Almeida nor the UFC has announced his next opponent, the move signals a clear shift in direction. For Jailton Almeida, light heavyweight represents a chance to rediscover the aggression and finishing ability that made him one of the promotion’s most intriguing prospects in the first place.
