Jailton Almeida Bio
Jailton Jesus Almeida Júnior (born 28 June 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Known by the ring name “Malhadinho,” he has built a reputation as one of the most dangerous submission grapplers in the division. As of 25 November 2025, he is ranked #6 in the UFC heavyweight rankings. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Almeida represents LG System and resides in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Early Life and Background
Jailton Jesus Almeida Júnior was born on 28 June 1991 in the Brotas neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He grew up in a large, working-class family and is one of 12 siblings raised by divorced parents. His early dream was to become a professional football player, but the financial demands of joining a local club, which required roughly $10,000 Brazilian real, forced him to abandon that goal. Following his father’s example, he turned to combat sports instead and began training boxing at the age of six.
Almeida started Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 11, gradually working his way up through the sport’s belt ranks. As his training partners began to cross-train in mixed martial arts, he followed them into the sport and started shaping his own combat career. To support himself, Almeida worked as a doorman and a security guard, putting his fighting dreams on hold whenever money became tight. His older brother Alexandre once disappeared after being involved with a criminal syndicate and was never seen again.
Path to MMA
Almeida launched his professional mixed martial arts career in 2012, fighting across several weight classes over the next several years. He began at welterweight, moved up to middleweight in 2017, transitioned to light heavyweight in 2019, and settled at heavyweight later that same year. Working with the LG System team, he built his style around Brazilian jiu-jitsu submissions and steadily racked up a 13–2 record on the Brazilian regional circuit. Those results earned him a shot at the Thunder Fight title, a victory that paved the way for an invitation to Dana White’s Contender Series.
Jailton Almeida Career
Early Career (2012–2021)
Across the Brazilian regional scene, Almeida compiled a 13–2 record, capping the run with a Thunder Fight title. The championship win caught the attention of UFC matchmakers, who booked him against Nasrudin Nasrudinov at Dana White’s Contender Series 39 on September 14, 2021. He won the bout via second-round submission and was awarded a UFC contract on the spot.
Dana White’s Contender Series (2021)
Almeida’s Contender Series appearance served as his official audition for a UFC roster spot. Facing Nasrudin Nasrudinov, he needed just one round of groundwork to lock in a second-round submission. The performance convinced UFC leadership to offer him a multi-fight deal, launching his tenure inside the Octagon.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (2021–Present)
Almeida made his promotional debut against Danilo Marques, originally booked for November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197, before being pushed to February 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 200. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. In his sophomore appearance, scheduled to face Maxim Grishin, Almeida instead moved up to heavyweight and submitted Parker Porter via rear-naked choke in round one at UFC Fight Night 206. He then dominated Anton Turkalj at UFC 279, locking in another first-round rear-naked choke and earning his first Performance of the Night bonus.
Almeida’s ascent continued at UFC 283, where he stopped Shamil Abdurakhimov via technical knockout in the second round and pocketed another Performance of the Night award. He followed that with a first-round rear-naked choke of Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ABC 4 in May 2023, once again earning a Performance of the Night bonus. On November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231, he outpointed Derrick Lewis by unanimous decision and registered 21 minutes and 10 seconds of ground control time, a UFC heavyweight record and the fourth-most in UFC history.
The run hit a snag on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299, when Curtis Blaydes knocked Almeida out early in the second round after Almeida had controlled the first round with grappling. Almeida bounced back on June 1, 2024, finishing Alexander Romanov via first-round rear-naked choke at UFC 302. On January 18, 2025, at UFC 311, he stopped Serghei Spivac by technical knockout at the end of the first round, earning yet another Performance of the Night bonus. His most recent outing came on October 25, 2025, at UFC 321, where he dropped a split decision to Alexander Volkov.
Driving Style and Strengths
Almeida fights from an orthodox stance and stands 193 cm tall with a 201 cm reach. His game centers on top-pressure grappling, heavy ground control, and a steady pipeline of rear-naked choke finishes. Inside the LG System camp, he has paired his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt pedigree with the power needed to thrive at heavyweight.
Notable Events and Milestones
His 21:10 of ground control time against Derrick Lewis set the all-time UFC heavyweight record. Multiple Performance of the Night bonuses, including awards after the Turkalj, Abdurakhimov, Rozenstruik, and Spivac fights, underline his finishing consistency. Reaching #6 in the UFC heavyweight rankings in late 2025 cemented his status as a top contender.
Jailton Almeida Career Wins
Through his professional career, Jailton Jesus Almeida Júnior has compiled 22 wins against 4 losses across 26 total bouts, with 13 submissions, 2 knockouts, and 2 decisions accounting for his victories. The bulk of his finishes have come by way of rear-naked choke, a reflection of his Brazilian jiu-jitsu roots and the grappling-heavy identity he has carried into the UFC.
UFC Highlights
Almeida’s first UFC win came via first-round technical knockout over Danilo Marques in February 2022. He has gone on to register multiple Performance of the Night bonuses for finishes of Anton Turkalj, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Serghei Spivac. His most recent UFC victory was the first-round technical knockout of Spivac at UFC 311 in January 2025.
Other Wins & Performances
On the regional circuit, Almeida posted a 13–2 record and captured the Thunder Fight title. That championship run, capped by a second-round submission of Nasrudin Nasrudinov on Dana White’s Contender Series 39, was the springboard for his move to the UFC roster.
Jailton Almeida Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Almeida was raised by divorced parents in Salvador and is one of 12 siblings. His father was a fighter, which inspired Almeida to follow him into combat sports. His older brother Alexandre disappeared after becoming involved with a criminal syndicate and was never seen again.
Personal Life
Jailton Jesus Almeida Júnior lives in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and trains out of the LG System camp. Outside of the gym, he has worked as a doorman and security guard to help finance his early fighting career.
2025 Season Performance
Almeida’s 2025 campaign opened with a statement performance at UFC 311 on January 18, when he closed out Serghei Spivac with a first-round technical knockout and added another Performance of the Night bonus to his resume. The result pushed him firmly into the UFC heavyweight top 10 and set the tone for a year spent knocking on the door of true title contention.
On October 25, 2025, at UFC 321, Almeida stepped in opposite longtime contender Alexander Volkov and dropped a hard-fought split decision. Despite the loss, his standing inside the division remained strong enough that, as of 25 November 2025, he sat at #6 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings. The Volkov fight was widely viewed as a measuring-stick opportunity against an established top-tier name.
Looking ahead from within the top 10, Almeida enters the back half of 2025 as one of the most dangerous submission threats in the division. With his Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree, his record-setting ground control, and the continued backing of LG System, he remains firmly in the mix of heavyweights capable of breaking into title contention. His recent split decision with Volkov is likely to set up another high-profile matchup in the months ahead.