Jailton Almeida earned yet another first-round finish when he brought Rozenstruik to the mat and secured a rear-naked choke.
Jailton Almeida was presented with a big opportunity in his first main event at UFC Fight Night Charlotte, and the Brazilian made the most of the moment by submitting Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round.
The Brazilian had already established himself as a unique fighter on the UFC roster thanks to his willingness to jump between heavyweight and light heavyweight, but following his performance against Rozenstruik it seems like there’s a good chance Almeida may continue plying his trade in the UFC’s heaviest weight class for the immediate future.
The 31-year-old had already submitted every opponent he faced since joining the UFC last year, and once he got Rozenstruik to the mat in the opening round it almost seemed inevitable that Almeida would close things out once again. “Bigi Boy” did his best to defend himself on the ground, but eventually Almeida ended up on his back and sunk in a rear-naked choke with just over a minute left in the first round.
The victory was Almeida’s sixth in the UFC, and so far Shamil Abdurakhimov is still the only opponent he’s faced in the promotion that was able to make it out of the opening round before being submitted.
Official UFC on ABC 4 Results: Jailton Almeida def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1
MMA community Reacts To Jailton Almeida’s Submission Win Over Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Almeida was already considered to be a major prospect in the UFC’s heavyweight division, and another submission win in his first UFC main event earned him plenty of praise.