Jailton Almeida loses first fight after UFC release
The former UFC heavyweight contender suffered a unanimous decision loss to Evgeniy Goncharov at ACA 207.
Jailton Almeida suffered a loss in his first fight since leaving the UFC. On Saturday, the Brazilian made his promotional debut in the main event of ACA 207 when he faced Evgeniy Goncharov in Krasnodar and was defeated by unanimous decision after three rounds. The setback marked Almeida's third consecutive loss for the first time in his career.
Jailton Almeida Falls Short in ACA Debut
Almeida entered the fight looking to rebound after losing his final two UFC appearances. The Brazilian was released by the promotion following a unanimous decision loss to Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Fight Night 266 in February. Before that, Almeida had lost a split decision to Alexander Volkov at UFC 321.
However, Almeida was unable to get back to winning ways in his ACA debut. Goncharov welcomed the Brazilian to the promotion aggressively, taking the lead in the opening round. The Russian fighter defended Almeida's early takedown attempts and neutralized his grappling, while controlling the action on the feet and landing the more effective strikes.
Almeida found more success in the second round, landing on the feet before eventually securing a takedown with about a minute remaining. The Brazilian threatened with submissions and landed strikes from the top position, but Goncharov was able to survive until the end of the round.
The momentum shifted back toward Goncharov in the third round. The Russian secured a takedown and controlled Almeida from the top, using his wrestling to limit the Brazilian's offensive opportunities. Almeida remained active from his back, attacking with submissions and throwing strikes, but Goncharov maintained control and landed a late barrage of ground-and-pound strikes to seal the victory.
The loss drops Almeida to 22-6 as a professional and gives him three consecutive defeats after he had established himself as one of the UFC's top heavyweight contenders. Goncharov, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to nine consecutive fights and improved his record to 24-3 with one no contest.
