A UFC heavyweight bout between contenders is in the works.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida is the promotion’s targeted main event for a UFC Fight Night event expected to take place Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie that verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected to be issued in the coming days. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) looks to rebound from a TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak that included wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, and Tom Aspinall.
Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) solidified himself as a breakthrough star May 13 when he made quick work of Rozenstruik with a sub-four-minute submission victory. All five of Almeida’s UFC appearances have come inside the distance.
The UFC has not been to Sao Paulo since November 2019 when Jan Blachowicz defeated Ronaldo Souza in the UFC Fight Night 164 main event. The event marks the second time the UFC has returned to Brazil since show with no in-attendance fans in March 2020, toward the start of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
No other fights have been revealed for the event at this time.
