Blaydes Vs. Almeida Targeted As November Brazil Main Event

The Heavyweights are headed to Brazil.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to Sao Paulo, Brazil for a Nov. 4, 2023, Fight Night event, according to MMA Junkie. In the main event, No. 4-ranked Heavyweight contender, Curtis Blaydes (17-4, 1 no contest), looks to defend his Top 5 spot against the surging Brazilian and No. 9 Heavyweight, Jailton Almeida (19-2).

UFC Sao Paulo will act as Blaydes’ seventh UFC main event in nine consecutive fights and his ninth headlining spot overall.

“I think he’s a specialist, I think he’s really good at the submissions and grappling to takedown,” Blaydes told James Lynch. “We haven’t seen a lot of his entire MMA game but he hasn’t had to use anything else. Also, at Heavyweight, anybody can be a title contender. Especially when you’re a non-American. You win four fights, you’re automatically a contender. So yeah, he can definitely be a contender.”

The frightening wrestler will look to get back in the win column against Almeida after suffering a tough first round technical knockout (punches) loss to Sergei Pavlovich this past April 2023 (watch highlights). Before the defeat, Blaydes had won three straight. He has yet to go on a losing streak in his 22-fight career.

Almeida recently continued to impress in his first main event showing, making quick work of a perennial Top 10 contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, via a first round rear naked choke (watch highlights) at UFC Charlotte early last month (May 13, 2023). Almeida has won 14 in a row and hoped for a match up with Tai Tuivasa after his last win, but defeating Blaydes could very well end up being enough to get him one fight away at most from a title opportunity.