Jailton Almeida Would Have Preferred Five-Round Fight Against Curtis Blaydes

While Jailton Almeida is glad to be rebooked against Curtis Blaydes, he would have preferred the five-round stipulation of their original fight.

Almeida and Blaydes were supposed to headline UFC Sao Paulo this past November before “Razor” was forced out with an injury. Blaydes was replaced on short notice by Derrick Lewis, who went on drop a lopsided decision against Almeida. Almeida and Blaydes have now been rebooked for UFC 299, which goes down on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

While their main-event bout was for five rounds, the UFC 299 clash will be for three rounds, which Almeida believes favors his opponent.

“Nothing changes at all, he is the same fighter,” Almeida told BJPenn.com. “So the camp was the same too… This changes a lot, mainly because I think I have the gas tank for 10 rounds, and Blaydes in other fights gasses out in the [championship] rounds, so, I think three rounds is better for him, but the result will be the same at the end, I will leave as the winner.

“Everyone knows what is my game, but no one knows how many ways I have to put my game to work, it will be the same as usual, same mentality… Like we said here in our state. Bahia is punch to the head and maul on the ground.”

Almeida is currently riding a 16-fight winning streak that includes eight UFC victories. The only decision win of his career came in his last outing against Lewis. If he gets his hand raised against Blaydes, “Malhadinho” expects an interim title shot against Tom Aspinall, who has already expressed interest in fighting the winner of the UFC 299 heavyweight clash. Almeida has two dates in mind for a potential clash against Aspinall, either UFC 301 in May or the promotion’s rumored return to Manchester in July.

“I hope I can take a title shot against Tom Aspinall after this fight,” Almeida said. “The champ already said the winner will be next. I’ll be on a 16-fight winning streak and 8-0 in the UFC. So I think I deserve the title fight. Maybe in Brazil, 301? I’m in. Maybe in Manchester? I’m in too… I can fight in two months against Aspinall, after Pereira was scheduled to fight at [UFC] 300, everybody is saying [they] don’t have anyone to headline this card. So, what is better than the heavyweight title of the world? Nothing. Let’s do it.”