Jailton Almeida is wasting little time getting back in the octagon.
Just more than two weeks removed from defeat, Almeida has agreed to fight Alexander Volkov in a big-time heavyweight showdown set for June 1 at UFC 302, which is expected to take place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Monday following an initial report from Leo Guimaraes on X.
Almeida (20-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, will compete a little less than three months after being knocked out by Curtis Blaydes on March 9 at UFC 299. The result ended a 15-fight winning streak for the Brazilian, including six in a row in the UFC.
For No. 6 Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC), this will be his first fight in 2024. The Russian standout is on a three-fight winning after most recently defeating Tai Tuivasa by second-round submission last September at UFC 293.
Below is the updated lineup for UFC 302:
- Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov
- Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
- Bassil Hafez vs. Mickey Gall
- Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
- Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.