Brazilian powerhouse Jailton Almeida is gearing up for his heavyweight clash against Alexander Volkov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, but he’s already got his eyes on a potential superfight between Jon Jones and Alex Pereira.
Almeida, who’s currently riding a 5-1 UFC record with five dominant wins, respects both men — but admits Jones didn’t look his sharpest when he first moved to heavyweight.
“Jon Jones moved up in weight and fought a bit heavy [against Gane],” Almeida told MMA Fighting. “He was slow, but he’s super experienced, a martial arts maestro. You saw he came lighter for his next fight [against Miocic], around 238 pounds.”
Despite the criticism, Almeida isn’t doubting Jones’ greatness. Still, he thinks a Jones vs Pereira clash would be a coin toss:
“It’s a tough fight. I’m Brazilian, I’m a big fan of Jon Jones, everybody knows that. It’s going to be 50-50. ‘Poatan’ is very tough, right? You saw his last fight. Devastating. He deserves the recognition in Brazil.”
As Almeida prepares for Volkov, he knows a win could make him the next in line for a title shot — though he’s realistic that Pereira’s star power could skip the line.
“In theory, defeating Volkov… I’m next. But we can’t forget what ‘Poatan’ has done. He’s the current champion in his division, sells a lot, and has saved the UFC many times. If the UFC opts to put him in front of me, he deserves it.”
If Jones vs Pereira does happen at the rumored White House card in 2026, Almeida hopes to be right there in the mix — maybe even fighting on the same stage.
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