Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov is the most underrated fight at UFC 302, here's why
By Safeer M S
UFC 302 is just around the corner and fight fans are eager to know whether Dustin Poirier can spring an upset and dethrone Islam Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion and pound-for-pound king. Fans also wonder who will emerge victorious in the co-main event fight between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. From the perspective of a casual fan, the main and co-main events are the only things that matter. This is why Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov is the most underrated fight of UFC 302.
Due to the immense popularity of Poirier, Makhachev, Costa, and Strickland, Almeida vs. Romanov is flying under the radar. Almeida was poised to become a serious threat at heavyweight but had his hype train derailed by Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299. Similar was the case for Romanov whose hype train was derailed by Marcin Tybura at UFC 278. Romanov has rebounded from his losses in his previous fight but Almeida suffered his first UFC setback in his previous one.
Fight fans love heavyweight fighters due to their propensity to get quick knockout victories. However, Romanov and Almeida are not the usual heavyweights. A case can be made that the two can fight at light heavyweight if they want to. Almeida has even fought at welterweight at the beginning of his MMA career. Romanov has not fought at a lower division in his professional MMA career.
Before going into detail about why Almeida vs Romanov is the underrated fight at UFC 302, let’s look at how the Brazilian and his Moldovan counterpart have fared inside the Octagon. Romanov debuted at UFC Vegas 10, submitting Roque Martinez in the second round. He reeled four more victories, three via finish, before he lost to Marcin Tybura via decision and Alexander Volkov via first-round knockout. However, he was back in the win column at UFC Vegas 76, defeating Blagoy Ivanov.
Don't miss Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
Almeida got into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, submitting Nasrudin Nasrudinov in a light heavyweight bout. He soon made his UFC debut in the same division, knocking out Danilo Marques at UFC Vegas 57. That was Almeida’s first and last light heavyweight bout in the UFC. Almeida moved to heavyweight and reeled off four consecutive finishes but had a lackluster fifth fight in the division, against Derrick Lewis, before getting knocked out by Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299.
The UFC has been devoid of high-level grappling-wrestling competitions inside the octagon for some time. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Islam Makhachev, Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren, Gregor Gillespie versus Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot are some of the fights that entertained the fight fans with amazing grappling sequences. In the fight between Almeida and Romanov, fight fans can expect something similar.
Almeida is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while Romanov is a credentialled freestyle wrestler. The matchup between a grappler and a wrestler has often entertained the fight fans. The wrestler has often gotten the better of the grappler but there are instances of happening otherwise. Looks don’t matter much in the heavyweight division but Almeida is ripped to the core while Romanov makes fans think of Roy Nelson.
There has never been an instance where the heavyweights had an interesting fight on the ground. All the high-profile wrestler vs. grappler matchups have happened at the lower weight classes. Almeida will be looking to bounce back from his setback with a victory on the main card of the PPV. On the other hand, Romanov will be looking to start a streak and bring back the hype he lost.
When these two heavyweights lock horns inside the octagon, fight fans will be amazed by the battle they will have on the ground. There is less chance of a snoozefest as both fighters have shown that opponents could break them. Nonetheless, both will try to stamp their authority on the ground, possibly entertaining the fans who more often than not want to see a striking contest.