UFC Releases Jailton Almeida After Consecutive Losses

UFC has released Brazilian contender Jailton Almeida after back-to-back defeats, a roster move that signals the promotion's stance on recent performance. Reports from Laerte Viana and confirmation by MMAjunkie.com state that Jailton Almeida was released by UFC days after he announced plans to return to the light heavyweight division. The UFC release follows losses to Alexander Volkov at UFC 321 and Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Fight Night 266. Almeida, 34, earned a contract via Dana White's Contender Series in 2021 and won his 205-pound debut against Danilo Marques in 2022. He later moved to heavyweight, going 5–3 with wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, and Serghei Spivac. The decision arrived soon after he accepted Kuniev on three weeks' notice.