After the exciting event that was UFC 294, UFC is looking to get back on track with UFC Fight Night 231. The card was originally scheduled to be headlined by a match between Jailton Almeida and Curtis Blaydes. However, Blaydes had to pull out of the fight due to some unknown reason and now Derrick Lewis will be taking on Jailton Almeida.
Jaiton ‘Malhadinho’ Almeida is coming off a very strong submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik earlier this year at UFC on ABC: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida. The 32-year-old fighter is on a 14-fight win streak and he is yet to be defeated in the UFC. Furthermore, he will be looking to increase his winning streak to fifteen.
🚨Curtis Blaydes is OUT of the #UFCSaoPaulo main event
NEW MAIN EVENT
Derrick Lewis vs Jailton Almeida
November 4 | 265 lbs | São Paulo 🇧🇷via @AgFight pic.twitter.com/PLh4nI1rtr
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 9, 2023
Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis has had his ups and downs in the UFC. He is coming off an impressive flying knee knockout of Marcos Rogerio de Lima in just 33 seconds. However, before this match, he was coming off a three-fight losing streak. He will be looking to shock the world with another impressive knockout.
Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis stats
Stats | Jailton Almeida | Derrick Lewis |
Wins | 19 | 27 |
Losses | 2 | 11 |
Height | 6ft 3in | 6ft 3in |
Division | Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
Reach | 79” | 79” |
Age | 32 | 38 |
UFC Fight Night 231: Almeida vs. Lewis, prediction
The 9th-ranked Jailton Almeida (19-2-0) is riding a strong wave of momentum with an impressive 15-fight win streak. The jiu-jitsu black belt has showcased his submission skills with 12 of his fifteen wins coming via submission. Almeida has a very strong takedown accuracy of 68% with an average of 6.40 takedowns landed per 15 minutes and a submission average of 2.5 per 15 minutes.
He is no slouch in the striking department with 7 wins coming off KO/TKO with a strong striking accuracy of 64%. Furthermore, his significant strike rate is 3.81 per minute while he absorbs 0.30 strikes per minute with a strike defense rate of 25%.
🚨NEW #UFCSaoPaulo MAIN EVENT🚨
Curtis Blaydes is OUT. Jailton Almeida will now take on Derrick Lewis at #UFCSaoPaulo on November 4th.
[per @AgFight]#UFCSaoPaulo #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/VEj3LO8N0w
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 9, 2023
On the other hand, the 10th-ranked veteran, Derrick Lewis (27-11-1) is coming with a Jorge Masvidal-style flying knee victory. The brawler is known for his one-punch knockout power with 22 of his 29 victories coming off KO/TKO. ‘The Black Beast’ has a significant strike rate of 2.60 per minute while he absorbs 2.59 strikes per minute with a strike defense rate of 41%.
Coming to his takedown defense skills, he is known to use his power to simply get up. He has a takedown defense rate of 52% which will definitely be tested in this match.
Jailton Almeida shoots takedown.
Derrick Lewis: pic.twitter.com/xXFL24rNOT
— ᴍᴍᴀ ᴍᴀʀᴄᴜs 🏝️ (@mmamarcuss) October 9, 2023
This fight will be very explosive and probably won’t go past the first round. Jailton Almeida is an all-rounder with good striking and great jiu-jitsu however he should avoid brawling with ‘The Black Beast’. While Derrick is having a lot of ups and downs, you can change the direction of the match out of nowhere just like he did against Alexander Volkov.
If Almeida can take Derrick down, it will be an easy victory for the Brazillian. However, if the match stays on the feet then Derrick Lewis has a chance to shock the world.