Preview: UFC Fight Night 206 Prelims

Heavyweights

Jailton Almeida (15-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Parker Porter (12-6, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Almeida (-650), Porter (+460)

Porter has been one of the more pleasant surprises in the UFC during his time on the roster. His signing was completely unexpected when the UFC picked him for a late-notice bout in 2020. A pro since 2007—long enough ago that he was a pre-UFC victim of Jon Jones—the window for Porter to get his UFC shot seemed to have closed after a long regional career. While Porter has a well put-together approach built around pressure, his UFC debut suggested he would not last long at this level, as Chris Daukaus knocked him out in a shade under four and a half minutes. However, Daukaus turned out to be much better than expected, and Porter has found his own footing inside the Octagon, winning three clear—if ugly—decisions in his three fights since. This time around, he steps in on late notice to take on a top light heavyweight prospect in Almeida, who moves up in weight due to the thrown-together nature of this bout. Brazil’s “Malhadinho” was a highly touted talent heading into his September fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, and he showed why when he dispatched Nasrudin Nasrudinov and ended a grappling-heavy affair with a rear-naked choke in the second round. Almeida is a terror on the mat, as he subsequently showed in his February UFC debut against Danilo Marques, though getting there is a bit of an adventure, as he can get wild on the feet and often just sells out in the name of explosive takedowns. That figures to make for an interesting progression up the ladder for Almeida, who should blow through a certain level of competition but could hit a hard ceiling until he continues to evolve. As for this fight, it is a bit closer than it would appear at first glance, with Almeida being both the standout athlete and the larger fighter despite moving up in weight. Porter is a solid enough wrestler for the heavyweight level and can set a consistent pace, but it is hard to ignore the huge difference in horsepower. That should carry Almeida to an early win. The pick is Almeida via first-round submission.

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