UFC Sao Paulo Highlights: Jailton Almeida dominates Derrick Lewis, calls for Ciryl Gane matchup

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UFC Sao Paulo Highlights: Jailton Almeida dominates Derrick Lewis, calls for Ciryl Gane matchup

Coming into enemy territory against a rising star was said to be a horrible matchup for him, Derrick Lewis was up against it from the very beginning and that was evident early on.

Despite being in Brazil and fighting one of their own, ‘The Black Beast’ entered the octagon to some mild boos. The South American fans are a passionate group and often show their support by intimidating the foreign fighters their athletes are up against, but that wasn’t the case for Lewis as he made his walk.

Jailton Almeida, on the other hand, danced to the cage and received an ovation from those in attendance as he was ready to put on a show for his home support. 

That intimidation from the crowd quickly began as the fight got underway, with jeers of ‘Uh vai morrer’ rung out. After a short weighing-out process, Almeida landed a huge head kick that wobbled his opponent before driving in with a powerful takedown.

After securing the mount, the Brazilian threatened with a head-and-arm choke that was defended well by Derrick Lewis. The Texan forced his way to his feet but only for a second as he was once again dragged back down to the canvas. As the halfway point of the round went by, a seemingly exhausted Lewis looked to be the next victim of Almeida’s dominant start to life in the UFC.

Round one came to an end and the one-sided showing could have easily been a 10-8 score to the man on home soil. Round two saw more of the same, Lewis feinted a little more to begin the second five minutes but was ultimately dominated by his challenger’s grappling prowess.

After an early burst from Lewis and some punishing ground and pound, ‘Malhadinho’ took control of the fight once again during the third round. More dominance and more submission attempts followed, but the veteran did well to avoid anything serious.

Less than a minute into the fourth, Derrick Lewis was visibly tired and was attempting to time the uppercut—similar to what he did to Curtis Blaydes almost three years ago. His plan was ruined by Almeida’s excellent timing of the takedown, and once again, the remainder of the round saw the #9 heavyweight control his opponent on the ground.

Aside from some good early takedown defense from Derrick Lewis, there was not much to tell in the final round of the fight. Complete control by Almeida who shows he is capable of grappling hard for the entire 25 minutes—though the display wasn’t the best from the potential future title contender.

The bout was scored 50-44, 50-44, and 50-45 on the judges scorecards in favor of Jailton Almeida.

Related: UFC Sao Paulo Live Results: Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis

Who did Jailton Almeida call out after his win over Derrick Lewis?

While it wasn’t his greatest performance, Jailton Almeida showed his five-round grappling ability during his clash against Derrick Lewis.

After securing the victory, the 32-year-old set his sights on a former UFC interim heavyweight champion. First, the victor spoke to the fans following the win.

“Remember that yesterday I said that he wanted a brawl and I said that it was going to be a show. So, did I give you guys a show or what?… We were worried, we knew that he has heavy hands. We had 15 or 20 days to come up with a strategy this fight. We knew that we were gonna keep him down and avoid the right hand.”

Almeida continued, calling out the dangerous Ciryl Gane for his next outing. The grappling powerhouse has won six straight in the UFC and looks to be a real force each time he enters the octagon, so believes he now deserves a significant name in the division.

“I’m gonna call out a name here. I want Ciryl Gane. I’ll fight in Paris, we can do it in Salvadore, wherever, I’m ready. Let’s do it, Ciryl Gane.”

https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/ufc-sao-paulo-highlights-jailton-almeida-dominates-derrick-lewis-calls-for-ciryl-gane-matchup

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