MMA Junkie's 2023 Breakout Fighter of the Year: Jailton Almeida

Jailton Almeida became a serious player at heavyweight in 2023.

The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has torn through competition and finds himself on the cusp of title contention. If it wasn’t for the logjam at heavyweight, Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) could possibly have already been there.

Activity was perhaps Almeida’s most impressive feat. The 32-year-old continued his busy schedule since joining the UFC roster in late 2021. Like 2022, Almeida logged in three fights, but against much stiffer competition.

He drew his most experienced opponent to date in Shamil Abdurakhimov to kick off 2023 and sliced through the Dagestani fighter for a second-round TKO to earn a bonus at UFC 283 in January. Almeida then landed his first headliner when he faced former kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May. His ground game proved to be too much when he needed less than a round to submit Rozenstruik to earn his third straight bonus.

To cap off the year, Almeida headlined another show, this time at home against former title challenger Derrick Lewis. It was not his most crowd-pleasing performance, but Almeida dominated the knockout artist on the ground en route to a lopsided decision win in November in Sao Paulo.

Almeida already has his next fight booked. He returns at UFC 299 on March 9 against Curtis Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) – the original opponent for his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 231 before Blaydes withdrew and was replaced by Lewis.

Almeida’s dominance on the ground makes him a serious threat at heavyweight. With 12 submissions to his name, Almeida can stake his claim for a shot at gold if he can get past a fellow elite grappler in Blaydes. If he keeps up his activity, Almeida very well could be in the title picture in 2024.