UFC on ABC 4: Jailton Almeida to provide another grappling masterclass against Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Liam Hampton
- 12 May 2023
The UFC’s most dangerous heavyweight prospect returns to the cage as Jailton Almeida takes on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Check out our preview, key stats and suggested bet for the fight.
This marks the first time Almeida will be involved in the main event in the UFC, and should he make quick work of Rozenstruik, it likely won't be the last.
A stacked undercard features an undefeated prospect looking to make his next step up, bantamweight bragging rights between two of the divisions most battle tested competitors, and old veterans finally meeting inside the cage after years of welterweight wars.
Cody Stamann vs Douglas Silva de Andrade
The UFC's bantamweight division is possibly the deepest in the entire sport, with fighters like Cody Stamann and Douglas Silva de Andrade being outside the rankings, it's easy to see why.
Both men have had steady UFC careers thus far, Stamann debuting in 2017 with a win over Terrion Ware, whereas de Andrade made his debut back in 2014 in a losing effort to Zubaira Tukhugov.
Stamann is a ruthless athlete, combining wrestling and striking effortlessly on top of sensational cardio, he has made himself a nightmare matchup for many bantamweights.
A three-fight losing streak against highly rated opposition may have had some considering Stamann's value to the bantamweight division but wins over Eddie Wineland and Luan Lacerda in his last two outings have silenced those talks.
"D'Silva" entered the UFC off the back of 21 straight victories on the regional circuit and despite dropping his debut to Tukhugov, he immediately rebounded with wins over Cody Gibson and Henry Briones.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he began a nasty habit of losing important fights at this stage. His losses may have come against the likes of former champion Petr Yan and top contender Rob Font, but "D'Silva's" inability to crack the very best at bantamweight has put him in a difficult career spot.
Despite this, he is still a talented fighter with the ability to make a run at the title, showing the heart of a champion to defeat Sergey Morozov by submission in a fight where he was on the verge of being finished himself.
Bantamweight is a weight class that guarantees action, and this fight will be no different, the knockout power of de Andrade is marvelous and if Stamann doesn't keep focused he could be on the end of the Brazilians highlight reel.
Key stats
Douglas Silva de Andrade has never lost two fights in a row, his last fight was a decision loss to Said Nurmagomedov.
86% of Cody Stamann's wins have come via judges' decision.
Suggested bet
Matt Brown vs Court McGee
At 42 and 38 years old respectively, Matt Brown and Court McGee have seen it all during their storied careers in the UFC, both men are alumni of The Ultimate Fighter with Brown competing on season 7 and McGee winning the 11th season.
Matt Brown's nickname is "The Immortal" although the nickname comes from his near-death experience overdosing on heroin, it is also appropriate for his career as he has been in countless wars and bloodbaths and still comes out swinging.
His fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 12 earned widespread accolades and respect from all who tuned in, most of all from Lawler himself who had nothing but praise for Brown in his post-fight interview.
"There's two champions in this octagon tonight".
That marked the end of a seven-fight winning streak for Brown, however he did pick up his fourth consecutive post fight bonus for his efforts.
Court McGee is as tough as they come, another student at the school of hard knocks, McGee overcame drug and alcohol addiction to make his way into the UFC.
A grinding wrestler with smothering top control, McGee will exploit any weaknesses his opponents may have in their grappling and once he gets on top of you there is very little chance you get him off.
His style has led him to the judges' scorecards more often than not, with his first two UFC wins over Kris McCray and Ryan Jensen back in 2010 being the only two that McGee finished.
Despite his age, Matt Brown still deserves a place on the UFC roster and will show it against Court McGee, his Muay Thai skills and overall toughness mean he won't get smothered by McGee's sensational wrestling.
Key stats
Matt Brown will make his 30th UFC appearance against McGee, with 75% of those wins coming by KO.
Court McGee lost his last fight by first round knockout to Jeremiah Wells.
Suggested bet
Daniel Rodriguez vs Ian Machado Garry
An Irish prospect with knockout power and a big mouth, does that sound familiar?
He may not have the star power of Conor McGregor yet, but Ian Machado Garry has all the makings of a future star and his bout with Daniel Rodriguez will provide not only his biggest test so far, but it will act as a marker to see how high the Irishman can fly.
A product of the talent rich roster at Cage Warriors, Garry won the promotions welterweight title by defeating Rostem Akman and Jack Grant within the span of only three months.
Soon after capturing the Cage Warriors gold, the UFC came calling and Garry has rattled off four consecutive victories prior to his matchup with Rodriguez.
Gorgeous striking is Garry's primary asset, using every inch of his 6'3" frame to snipe at his opponents from distance with remarkable power.
Daniel Rodriguez may not be the UFC's next superstar, but a 17-3 professional record with wins over Kevin Lee and Li Jingliang have made the Syndicate MMA fighter a ranked fighter and a stern test for a prospect such as Garry.
Rodriguez has a 71% career finish rate with most coming by way of knockout, his win over Mike Perry may have come by decision but it was arguably the performance that deserved a knockout the most, as he stung Perry with sensational striking for three rounds, battering him into an unrecognizable state.
Both men have the power to finish this fight with one shot, when Rodriguez is on form his boxing is some of the best in the division, however if he gets sloppy with his hooks and throws them too wide, he will be open to counter and potentially give Ian Machado Garry the knockout he needs to send his star power to the stratosphere.
Key stats
Ian Machado Garry last fought two months ago, coming through a tough battle with Song Kenan to win by TKO in round three.
Despite coming off a loss to Neil Magny in his last bout, Daniel Rodriguez has followed both of his previous career losses with long winning streaks.
Suggested bet
Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker
Two opposite personalities meet in the center of the cage in the co-main event, as the humble and underestimated Anthony Smith takes on the brash and outgoing Johnny Walker.
Nothing has come easy in the career of Anthony "Lionheart" Smith, early losses took his pro career to 5-6 in his first eleven bouts. After recovering from that he lost a crucial fight with Adlan Amagov on Strikeforce Challengers 20 which set him back once again, finally after recovering once again he made it to the UFC only to be released after losing one fight to Antonio Braga Neto.
It's safe to say he showed off why they call him "Lionheart" as he battled from setback after setback to work his way back into the UFC where he has stayed since 2016.
A finishing machine whose only UFC win to reach the judges' scorecards came in his second debut back in 2016, Smith battled his way through prospects and veterans at both middleweight and light heavyweight to eventually secure a title shot against Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
Despite a spirited effort (and a potential disqualification for Jones) Smith came up short in his title fight, but his willingness to take on the entire division has seen him become a mainstay in the light heavyweight top 10.
Johnny Walker by contrast had no such struggle, his performances were continuously impressive, and he passed his tests on Dana White's Contender Series and his UFC debut with flying colours.
However, he began to lose steam after suffering his first UFC loss to Corey Anderson, despite his flashy striking and outgoing personality, neither could save him from going 1-4 in his next five bouts, losing two by first round KO.
Walker is now back on form, stopping both Ion Cutelaba and Paul Craig in the first round of his last two fights, and now the Brazilian looks to book himself a place in the top five with a win over Smith.
Flashy striking and knockout power make Walker a huge threat on the feet to anyone, but Smith's ability to overcome adversity and grapple make him a huge threat to Johnny Walker's career resurgence.
Key stats
Johnny Walker has only ever won by finish in the UFC.
Anthony Smith has finished his last three wins in the first round.
Suggested bet
Jailton Almeida vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
The most dominant heavyweight prospect in years, Jailton Almeida made waves by stating his intentions to compete at both heavyweight and light heavyweight during his early UFC career.
That has seen him fight at a catchweight of 220lbs for his bout with Anton Turkalj, which was his third win as part of his current four fight win streak, and third consecutive first round finish.
Almeida's finishes in the UFC have all come from one place, the ground. As his evident game plan is take his opponents down early and use his superhuman BJJ skills to suck the life out of his opponents before submitting them or securing a TKO.
Despite how clear his gameplan is, no one has been able to figure out how to stop him, with most recently Shamil Abdurakhimov succumbing to the pressure in the second round, despite his extensive background in Sanda and freestyle wrestling.
Finding a way to stop Almeida's takedowns will be key for opponent Jairzinho Rozenstruik if he wants to have a chance at winning.
"Bigi Boy" is an accomplished kickboxer with devastating knockout power, holding wins in kickboxing over Benjamin Adegbuyi and current GLORY light heavyweight champion Donegi Abena.
Losing efforts in contests with Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes don't bode well for him though, as both men utilized their strong grappling skills to nullify the kickboxing abilities of Rozenstruik.
This fight is tailor made for Almeida to put on another clinic, Rozenstruik is a ranked opponent who was once considered a legitimate title contender, but his grappling is significantly weaker than Almeida's.
If another dominant display from Almeida occurs, it is not out of the question for him to be fighting for the heavyweight title very soon, due to the uncertainty over Jon Jones' future post Stipe Miocic, so a big win and big year could be ahead for the man they call "Malhadinho".
Key stats
Jailton Almeida has finished every win of his professional career.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has only lost via first round KO or by decision in his career.
