Why Was Jailton Almeida Moved From the Main Card to Prelims of UFC 302?

UFC 302 is just moments away. The headlining even͏t features a ͏premium li͏ghtweight bout betw͏een͏ Dusti͏n Poirier an͏d Islam͏ Makhac͏͏hev. However, that is not ͏the only fight ca͏tching the e͏y͏es of the MM͏A community. A͏nother b͏ou͏t ͏gainin͏g ͏attention, albe͏it for less favorable r͏͏easons, is ͏the heav͏ywe͏ight fight between Jailton Almeida an͏d Alexandr Romanov

Almeida and Romanov were supposed to fight on the main card, but the UFC and Dana White seem to have ousted ‘Malhadinho’ aspirations to be on the main card of a five-star event. But why did it happen? Well, let us find out.

Did Jailton Almeida upset the UFC?

Jailton Almeida has been one of the most looked forward fighters in the promotion. With a record of 20 victories and 3 defeats, Almeida has been a prospect for the heavyweight championship. His last few fights against the heavyweight division firebrands have been brilliant. The MMA community loved the approach of the Brazilian when he first fought under the promotion back in 2021.

However, the mood of the MMA community seems to be swinging in a different direction. After Almeida’s victory against Derrick Lewis back in 2023, there was a change in the mentality of the fans. What happened in the entire match? It was a disaster for the fans to watch it. How so? According to the fans, the match was an absolute snooze fest, as both the fighters arguably stayed on the ground the entire match.

A fan even took to social media to state that he was forced to change the channel as the fight was way too boring. Generally, heavyweight fights do not have any ground game, as the fighters fight in a way that ends up in either a submission or a knockout. This might have played a role in Dana White’s assessment of pulling Almeida down from main cards to prelims. Another reason that might have played in White’s assessment is Niko Price.

Is Niko Price a factor for White?

If Jailton Almeida and Alexandr Romanov have been stripped off the main card position, then who took their position? It’s the UFC veterans who seem to have ousted the heavyweights. Welterweight fighters, Niko Price and Alex Morono are going to be on the main card. A bit of a surprise there because both of these fighters have not been performing well in their fights.

Interestingly, Price is on a two-fight losing streak while on the other hand, Morono is 2-2 in his last four fights. If we have a close analysis of their fight, then Morono has lost most of his fights via knockout. So why did Dana White decide to put them ahead of Almeida who has lost only one fight under the promotion?

Well, it might be a whip or warning by the UFC supremo to ‘Malhadinho’ that if he doesn’t perform better in his upcoming matches, then there’s a high possibility that he would go the Belal Muhammad way. Nonetheless, what are your thoughts on the analysis? State your opinions in the comments below.