Jailton Almeida expressed genuine surprise but also happiness when UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Jon Jones` retirement, which led to Tom Aspinall being elevated to the undisputed heavyweight champion. Almeida sees this development as finally clearing congestion in the division and is hopeful it will pave the way for a championship encounter with Aspinall.
Almeida recently secured quick victories against Alexandr Romanov and Serghei Spivac, both first-round finishes, bouncing back successfully from the first loss of his UFC career. The heavyweights currently ranked above him in the official UFC standings include Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich, and Curtis Blaydes.
Among these contenders, Gane hasn`t competed since his highly contested split decision win over Volkov in December 2024, which was also Volkov`s last fight. Blaydes was quickly defeated by Aspinall in their previous meeting and recently earned a split decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev. Pavlovich, who lost to Aspinall for the interim belt in late 2023, is scheduled to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta in August.
“We are optimistic,” Almeida stated in an interview. “In fact, I am the sole fighter in the division actively pursuing a fight with Tom Aspinall. Look around – Volkov isn’t calling for it. Ciryl Gane is pursuing film projects. Pavlovich has already fought him and has another bout booked. I am the only available contender, and I am openly challenging him.”
Aspinall has mentioned Almeida as a potential future opponent in the past. Almeida notes that no other heavyweight is being as vocal as he is about securing the opportunity for the title shot.
“I follow Tom Aspinall on Instagram and watch all his training sessions; it’s part of my routine now,” Almeida explained. “I am the one talking about him, sending messages, posting on Twitter, utilizing social media to build hype for the fight. That`s how these things begin. I don’t see anyone else calling out Tom Aspinall. I’m the only one requesting to fight him… I’ve seen him mention me on podcasts, so let`s make it official and sign the contract to fight me.”
Since joining the UFC in 2022, Almeida holds an impressive 8-1 record, with finishes in all but one of his victories. Tom Aspinall possesses the identical Octagon record, but with a perfect 100 percent finish rate.
“It promises to be a great fight because our styles are similar. He’s quick; it`s no surprise he`s the champion,” Almeida commented. “However, what I’ve observed about Tom Aspinall is that he hasn’t gone five rounds. He’s never fought five rounds in his career. He seems to tire after the second round. Tom Aspinall has never been truly tested beyond three rounds. Meanwhile, I’m already doing six or seven rounds in the gym, and I haven’t even started my intense fight camp yet.”
“If I face Tom Aspinall, my plan is to take him into the third round to see how he performs under that pressure. But Aspinall is intelligent, very experienced, and has faced tough opponents, so I must be strategic and develop a solid game plan to defeat him. For me, when that cage door closes, it`s going to be a war. I am fully prepared for a battle.”
