Jailton Almeida hopes Tom Aspinall can learn from his mistakes as he defends his interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes at the UFC 304.
Almeida (19-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who faces Alexandr Romanov on Saturday at UFC 302 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+), is coming off a tough loss to Blaydes in his most recent performance. He was winning the fight shortly after scoring nine takedowns in the opening round, but then Blaydes turned the tide and knocked him out on the ground early in the second frame of UFC 299 in March.
The Brazilian admits that he was very anxious against Blaydes due to his initial success, and this ended up costing him dearly, as he was unable to show patience and maintain the same pace throughout three rounds.
He said Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) needs to study that approach before his rematch with Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) on June 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England , and advises the interim champion not to try too hard in the first moments of the fight.
“I think Aspinall will win,” Almeida told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “He is a more complete fighter. He has a lot of respect for his career. I do believe that Curtis is a very strategic fighter and Aspinall will have to have a lot of patience, just like I didn’t. Aspinall will have to be very patient and understand when he can throw himself at Curtis, as Curtis will be waiting for him. On the floor, probably.
Blaydes scored a victory over Aspinall in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 208 in July 2022, but it was far from satisfactory. Aspinall suffered an injury just 15 seconds into the main fight, and now the pair have the opportunity to have a controversy-free run.
Meanwhile, Almeida, No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight classificationswill try to re-establish himself as a contender against Romanov and prepare for a future meeting with second-placed Aspinall or a rematch with fifth-placed Blaydes.
“I want to fight Aspinall in the future and I would also like to come back and fight Curtis one more time,” said Almeida. “I’m looking for revenge and I know the first step is to win (at UFC 302).”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 302 It is UFC 304.
