Almeida’s Plan for a Third UFC Title Run
Before the January 2025 fight with Serghei Spivac, Jailton Almeida described three steps toward the heavyweight title: defeat Spivac, call out Ciryl Gane for a high-profile fight in France, then work toward a championship opportunity. He completed the first step. The rest was a plan, and his run with the promotion has since ended. MMA Fighting reported his pre-fight callout plan, while the official preview covered his title ambitions.
Step One: Beat Serghei Spivac
Almeida checked off the immediate goal on January 18, 2025. He stopped Spivac by TKO with punches at 4:53 of the first round. The official event results record the finish. That win kept Almeida moving in the heavyweight picture, but it did not guarantee a title fight.
Step Two: Pursue a Fight with Ciryl Gane
Before facing Spivac, Almeida said he wanted to call out Gane for a fight in France if he won. It was a proposed next matchup, not a bout promoters had booked. The callout reflected Almeida’s aim to build toward the belt through another high-profile heavyweight fight; it did not itself move him into a championship contest.
Step Three: Reach the Title
Almeida did not reach a heavyweight title fight. After his win over Spivac, he lost a split decision to Alexander Volkov at Abu Dhabi event in October 2025, then a unanimous decision to Rizvan Kuniev at a Las Vegas event in February 2026. MMA Fighting reported that the promotion released Almeida after the Kuniev loss, closing his run before the championship goal was realized.
The three steps now read as a snapshot of Almeida’s ambition before the January 2025 fight: one objective accomplished, a desired matchup that never became official, and a title goal left unmet during his time with the promotion.
Sources
- Official preview: Jailton Almeida’s three-step plan for heavyweight gold
- MMA Fighting: Almeida’s pre-fight callout of Ciryl Gane
- Official event results
- MMA Fighting report on Almeida’s release after Kuniev
