UFC Releases Top-10 Heavyweight
The UFC has released top-10 heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida following a two-fight skid. The Brazilian was previously ranked in the division's upper tier before his recent losses. Mohammed Usman, brother of former champion Kamaru Usman, was also suspended for 30 months due to a PED-related offense and cut from the roster.
- Almeida's release followed consecutive decision losses to Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev, the latter of which took place just days before his release was reported. - His fighting style in his recent bouts drew criticism, including from UFC CEO Dana White, who after the Volkov fight said, "You can't win a fight by just laying on top of somebody." - In his final two UFC fights, Almeida landed just nine significant strikes despite over 10 minutes of control time against Volkov and failed on all eight of his takedown attempts against Kuniev. - Before his two-fight losing streak, Almeida had compiled an impressive six-fight winning streak to begin his UFC career, with five of those wins coming by stoppage. - Fellow UFC fighter Gilbert Burns speculated that Almeida's release serves as a "warning" to the roster that entertaining performances are expected. - Mohammed Usman's 30-month suspension was extended from the standard two years due to "aggravating circumstances." - Usman tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition sample and later admitted to also using a prohibited peptide, BPC-157. - Anti-doping officials stated that Usman was not timely in taking responsibility and attempted to deceive the agency with a false explanation, leading to the longer suspension.
