UFC Charlotte upgrades undercard fight to new main event; downgrades previous headliner
UFC Charlotte has a new main event, but the original headliner still remains, just elsewhere on the same card.
A heavyweight bout between contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Jailton Almeida (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has been elevated from a three-round undercard fight to a five-round headliner May 13 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., the promotion announced Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a light heavyweight contender bout between Anthony Smith (36-17 MMA, 11-7) and Johnny Walker (20-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) that was originally slated as a the five-round main event has been downgraded to a three-round co-main event, multiple people with knowledge of the booking Tuesday told MMA Junkie.
It is unclear as to why the UFC elected to swap the positions of the two fights, though multiple sources tell MMA Junkie the promotion had eyed multiple other options to headline the event over Smith vs. Walker in recent weeks, including new additions like Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov that never materialized.
Rozenstruik will look to turn a standalone victory over Chris Daukaus in December into a winning streak. Since a title eliminator knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in May 2020, Rozenstruik has had ups and downs with three wins and three losses in that stretch.
Almeida (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was one of the promotion’s breakthrough up-and-comers in 2022, a year in which he went 3-0. Although he originally entered the UFC a light heavyweight, Almeida found success at heavyweight with wins over Parker Porter and, most recently, Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 283 in January.
The full UFC Charlotte lineup includes:
- Jailton Almeida vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker
- Matt Brown vs. Court McGee
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Tim Means vs. Alex Morono
- Ihor Potieria vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Jessica-Rose Clarke vs. Tainara Lisboa
- Mandy Bohm vs. Ji Yeon Kim
- Doulas Silva de Andrade vs. Cody Stamann
- Bryan Battle vs. Gabe Green
UFC Charlotte upgrades undercard fight to new main event; downgrades previous headliner
