Interview
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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight grapplers Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov will duel this weekend (Sat., June 1, 2024) at UFC 302 inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Almeida started his UFC career off hot, winning six straight bouts to establish himself as a Heavyweight contender. The Brazilian suffered his first Octagon defeat last time out, however, as Curtis Blaydes was able to survive the first round and pull the rug out from underneath Almeida with a sudden series of hammerfists (watch highlights). “Malhadinho” will attempt to rebound opposite a fellow grappler in Romanov, who actually started his UFC career in similar fashion. Five straight wins saw Romanov climb the ladder quickly, but consecutive losses and significant weight gain raised questions about whether the Moldovan wrestler could really cut it at the highest level.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Almeida Vs. Romanov Betting Odds
- Jailton Almeida victory: -290
- Jailton Almeida via TKO/KO/DQ: +350
- Jailton Almeida via submission: +175
- Jailton Almeida via decision: +375
- Alexander Romanov victory: +205
- Alexander Romanov via TKO/KO/DQ: +800
- Alexander Romanov via submission: +600
- Alexander Romanov via decision: +650
- Draw: +5000
- Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
How Almeida Wins
Almeida is not a complicated tactician, but his strategy has been wildly effective. The muscled Brazilian wastes little time in flashing a high kick or left hook then exploding forward into a double leg takedown. Once on top, his control and guard passing is masterful, and he’ll hunt for submissions from dominant positions like mount.
For all the “boring” complaints, Almeida has finished 19 of his 20 victories — mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are silly!
At some point, Almeida is going to have to add more layers to his kickboxing offense to really set up his grappling, but … this is not that point. I don’t know that Romanov even has the striking advantage here. They’re pretty much pure grapplers, and based on footage and results, Almeida seems like the better one!
Even if he isn’t, his cardio is much better. Almeida can start wrestling from the first bell, and by the second, Romanov will probably fade to the point that he can take over if he hasn’t already.
How Romanov Wins
Romanov was an accomplished freestyle wrestler before moving into MMA. In the cage, he’s known for high-velocity throws and an aggressive top game, which has resulted in 15 finishes out of 17 victories.
The odds are stacked against him, but I do see a single realistic path to victory for Romanov — aside from closing his eyes and swinging for a random KO punch, which could always happen between two big men. The better strategy, however, would be to sprint from the starting gun and initiate the wrestling exchanges himself.
As we just saw in Almeida vs. Blaydes, a Heavyweight being good at offensive wrestling doesn’t mean his defensive wrestling is particularly nuanced. There’s every chance that Almeida’s takedown defense is mediocre, and we’ve just never seen that aspect of his game because nobody has tried. Surprisingly, one of the safest ways to avoid being taken down is to take the other guy down first!
That’s the case here. If “King Kong” shoots early, he might just be able to throw Almeida through the air and gain top position.
Almeida Vs. Romanov Prediction
Heavyweight grappling matches have a reputation for being awful, but this one should create some interesting scrambles.
One of the most difficult situations in MMA is trying to beat someone who’s superior in your own strength. What is a very good kickboxer supposed to do against an elite kickboxer? They can try to wrestle, but nobody likes turning to their backup game plan, and the elite kickboxer is probably used to shucking off takedown attempts from actual wrestlers!
Such is the case here. Almeida is the superior athlete with more dominant wrestling and better jiu-jitsu. Romanov might be able to start fast and catch him off-guard, but Almeida is pretty dang excellent at exploding out of the gate. Plus, even if he is taken down, Almeida showed a good ability to wrestle up into single legs from his back against Derrick Lewis last time out, and it feels unlikely that Romanov can keep up the pace for more than a round.
When he fades, Almeida wraps up a strangle.
Prediction: Almeida via submission (+175)
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey has talked more about fighting in the past few months, while supporting the release of her autobiography, than she did during the final few years competing in the sport.
She’s discussed openly how a multitude of concussions ultimately led to her retirement and it was actually a concussion prior to her fight against Holly Holm that played such a pivotal role in her first loss. More recently, Rousey claimed that she’s been vilified by the MMA media and her accomplishments have been shrouded in negativity so much that she’s convinced she would get booed out of the building if she showed up to a UFC event.
Recently retired UFC legend Matt Brown doesn’t really see why Rousey is complaining so much, especially given her particular level of celebrity.
“I mean the first thing that comes to my mind is what’s the problem?” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Like is she complaining? What’s the problem? Maybe people have said bad things about you. Welcome to being a human. Welcome to being famous. What did you expect?
“It’s not like she was out saving babies and shit. She wasn’t out there putting her best foot forward all the time. What do you expect?”
If Rousey really wants to understand why she’s fallen out of favor with UFC fans, Brown says she has to look no further than the litany of interviews she’s given in support of her book release.
She’s laid out a long list of reasons why she struggled in losses to Holm and Amanda Nunes at the end of her career. Rousey has stated specifically that those losses stung her so much worse than anyone else because no one has ever loved being a UFC champion like she did.
Through it all, Rousey explained all the things that went wrong during her UFC career, but she’s barely addressed Holm or Nunes as opponents, much less what they did right to beat her.
“I get where she’s bitter and can’t accept the loss and blaming it externally is always the wrong thing,” Brown said. “Even if you were injured, and I can relate to this because it’s happened to me. I’ve been injured in fights. I’ve been sick. I’ve had the flu in fights. I’ve got a lot of fights. You don’t have 50 fights and it go right every time. That’s one of the reasons why we have so much respect for guys like [Julio Cesar] Chavez, who won like 84 fights in a row or I’ll mention Floyd [Mayweather], he did win 49 in a row. At some point in one of those fights, shit’s not going to be right and you’re going to have to fight through it.
“So for her to think that she’s special because she had a concussion, it’s just silliness. I could look at a loss, and I could give you all the reasons why I lost. But any time you say it out loud, it’s an excuse. It’s purely excuse. If someone brings it up and the first thing you talk about is how injured you were or something. Even if you’re trying to make it a reason, it’s an excuse. That’s all there is to it.”
While Rousey details the struggles she faced that played a part in her losses, Brown says that’s completely ignoring the possibility that her opponents were dealing with the same kind of issues.
“Like when she fought Holly Holm, I bet if we talked to Holly she’d be like ‘yeah, I had this injury and this injury.’ How do we know she didn’t have a concussion?” Brown said. “It’s just silliness.
“I feel like it’s kind of one of those things, we should almost just ignore it. I almost don’t want to feed it. It doesn’t help the situation and it’s unfortunate.”
As much as concussions, injuries or other problems may have played a part in Rousey’s losses, Brown just doesn’t see that she’s really learned much from those experiences other than trying to explain away why she got beaten.
That leads to backlash from fans, who see Rousey’s statements as excuses rather than somebody who accepted defeat and now seeks to come back better from it.
“It’s just sad,” Brown said. “Because she’s got to live with herself. That’s the sad part. I’ve got losses. I’ve got way more losses than Ronda. I fought a lot more times than Ronda. But you don’t want to go around living that way, blaming other people for the way your life is or the way that you’re portrayed.
“I don’t doubt for a second that she could reconcile everything. Like she could walk in and show a little bit of humility — like you said, just show a little bit of f*cking humility and everybody would be bowing down to her again. Hire a f*cking PR person! Just hire a f*cking halfway decent PR person, tell you what to say, just say the shit and the world is yours again. You’re f*cking back at the top of the celebrity list. But no one wants to hear the shit that she’s saying.”
Brown also takes issue with the way that Rousey has seemingly painted her experiences as wholly unique because she was occupying rarified air while competing in the UFC.
There’s no denying Rousey faced pressure and expectation unlike almost anybody else in the sport, but Brown says whether she was the biggest star or the curtain jerker opening the card, the emotions and turmoil that fighters face are almost universal.
“This is everyday fighter shit. You’re just not a fighter,” Brown said. “She didn’t go through anything that anyone else [hasn’t gone] through. Of course, it happened to her on a way, way bigger stage than most, which is what I think is what got to her. She wasn’t mentally prepared for that type of stage and just didn’t handle it well.”
If Rousey really wanted to be embraced by UFC fans again, Brown knows it’s possible but he just doesn’t expect her to take the steps necessary to rebuild that bridge.
“Most of the MMA world wants to love her,” Brown said. “She’s a perfect figure for us all to love and attach to. She has all of the right qualities, but she pushes us away. She pushes that away from her. I think every fan wants to love her.”
Listen to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Writer every Tuesday with audio only versions of the podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
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Darren Till will be making his boxing debut on July 20 against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson undercard on July 20.
Till asked for his release from the UFC to heal up his injuries and will now be turning to boxing. Although Till has said he will fight in the UFC again, he is booked to face Chavez Jr. in an intriguing matchup.
Although Till doesn’t have any prior boxing experience, he does believe he will be able to upset Chavez Jr., and he expects to do so by KO.
“Man, they’ve just got to make a statement,” Paul told The Schmo. “A KO, win the crowd over and do so good that I see their skill and I am impressed by them and want to make a big fight with them happen.”
If Darren Till does KO Chavez Jr. it would be an upset as the oddsmakers have the Mexican as a -400 favorite while Till is a +275 underdog.
Darren Till plans to call out Jake Paul
If Darren Till does KO Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. it would set him up to get massive boxing fights in the future.
One fight that Till has his eye on is Jake Paul as he knows it would be a fight that the fans would want to see, especially if he KO’s Chavez Jr. just moments before Paul faces Tyson.
“When I do win, when I knock Chavez Jr. out, I’m going to get on the mic or whatever, watch Jake’s fight, and I’ll be right there in the mix,” Till said. “I’m going to hold him to that fight now. F*ck him fighting Tommy (Fury), f*ck him fighting anyone else, all this McGregor – I’m the same size as him, so let’s see. Most probably (jumping into the ring) after the winner with a pint, just jumping in. I probably will do that.”
Darren Till has not fought since December of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis.
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TUF 32 begins airing next week on June 4th and I wanted to take some time to research the announced roster. This will be a short breakdown of all the fighters touching on their backgrounds, who they train with and a first glance impression of their fighting styles. I will include a link to a fight for each fighter that in my opinion illustrates their fighting style. If this gets good feedback I will put together a similar post for the Middleweight roster. Lets get into it!
Edwin Cooper Jr (6-1)
Training out of Jackson Wink MMA, Cooper has a decent level of competition under his belt already with several fights in LFA and an appearance on the PFL Challenger Series with a combined opponent record of 23-6-1. A graduate of the University of Iowa where he competed in wrestling and was regularly a top competitor, Cooper relies mostly on a ground and pound style, prioritizing position over submission. He is well rounded with his striking and uses it effectively to get to the takedown.
Nathan Fletcher (8-1)
Training out of Next Generation MMA with the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann, Fletcher has spent the entirety of his career in Cage Warriors, with a combined opponent record of 49-10, competing at Bantamweight where he also spent most of his Amateur career at 18 years old where he went 6-1. Fletcher has excellent BJJ, is incredibly slick with his transitions and is not afraid to throw elbows from top position. Fletcher was undoubtedly on his way to the UFC but unfortunately was sidelined with a medical issue in late 2023 preventing him from competing for the CW Bantamweight Title delaying a UFC debut. Fletcher should be the favorite to win the 145 lb bracket.
Zygimantas Ramaska (9-2)
Training out of Ukmerge Judo Club and a World Combat Sambo champion at 71kgs, winning gold in 2021, Ramaska has competed in local Lithuania organizations since 2016 from the age of 18 with a combined opponent record of 85-29-5. Ramaska shows a well rounded game with several wins by both KO and Submission but is a brawler at heart in contrast to his Sambo background. He uses all his weapons well throwing powerful strikes with his hands, legs and knees. Ramaska is relentless when he has his opponent hurt but also has a tendency to brawl while chasing the finish and may also lack cardio with no wins on his record by decision.
Roedie Roets (7-1)
Training out of Guts and Glory MMA in South Africa, Roets became an IMMAF World Champion at 155 lbs in 2016 before competing professionally for the premier South African organization EFC with a combined opponent record of 30-23-1. Roets began his amateur career winning with a wide variation of submissions including armbars, key locks and heel hooks but has won the majority of his professional bouts via KO/TKO. Roets lacks competition against experienced opponents which is common for South African fighters. Regardless, Roets is an exciting fighter and has one of the most interesting submissions I've seen in a long time in which he submitted Serge Kasanda by rear naked choke from the north/south position.
Bekhzod Usmonov (11-4)
Our second fighter training out of Jackson Wink MMA, Usmonov is the first fighter in TUF history to directly come from competing in Bare Knuckle Boxing where he has a record of 1-1 with the loss being to Jimmie Rivera. If he were to join the UFC I’m fairly sure he would also be the first fighter on the roster to have experience in that organization. Usmonov is likely the most pure striker on the TUF roster having also competed in Muay Thai with a record of 37-5-1 and lacks competition against experienced MMA fighters with a combined opponent record of 49-31. Usmonov is also one of the smaller fighters this season to compete at 145, having competed as low as Flyweight during his MMA career but as of recently competed in bare knuckle at 150lbs. Usmonov should be an interesting addition to the roster with a different skill set than the UFC is usually looking to add to the TUF rosters.
Guillermo Torres (7-1)
Fighting out of Mexico, Torres is a wrestler turned KO artist and the oldest fighter on the TUF roster at 37 years old. Guillermo Torres achieved Silver in Freestyle Wrestling at the Pan American Games all the way back in 2011 and has since transitioned to MMA making his debut at CBF MMA on an episode of Dana Whites Lookin’ For a Fight in 2018. He currently trains under the tutelage of Henry Cejudo where he was his primary training partner for his fight with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. Torres has clearly adapted some of Cejudos fighting style into his own. He can fight from both southpaw and orthodox and has a well rounded striking style with most of his wins coming by KO/TKO including one by body kick.
Kaan Ofli (11-2-1)
Training out of Absolute MMA and Conditioning in Australia and the child of Turkish Immigrants, Ofli has spent most of his career competing in local organizations like Eternal and Hex where he became their 145lb champion. Ofli is a patient and well rounded fighter but still relies mostly on his wrestling to get the job done. Ofli defense leaves a lot to be desired. He takes a lot of damage in his fights but has never been finished and has mostly been able to stay in the fight against more experienced strikers due to his iron chin. Back in 2018 Ofli was featured on an episode of Rich Franklins ONE Warrior Series in which he speaks in great detail about financial and family hardship. Ofli lost his father who had just come back into his life, was hospitalized due to a car accident and was fired from his job because of it, all within the space of a month. Ofli will definitely be featured as one of the bigger sob stories of the season.
Mairon Santos (13-1)
Training out of Parana Vale Tudo in Brasil, Santos is a powerful striker that does not lack BJJ or grappling experience. Santos has been competing in Brasil since he was 18 years old and is the youngest fighter on the roster at 23. Santos fights with an upright Muay Thai style similar to fighters coming out of Chute Box. With a 54% finish rate, all by KO, Santos’s sole loss came from another TUF alumni, Daniel Arguetta under the LFA banner. As the youngest fighter on the roster it is expected Santos would lack experience against top opponents with a combined opponent record of (67-56) but as of recently has taken on greater challenges while competing for LFA and Shoot Brasil.
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On the first episode of UFC 302 Embedded, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev got a training session in with his team, Sean Strickland worked out and Dustin Poirier hit the miss.
UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Makhachev and Poirier. In the co-main event, former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland takes on former title challenger Paul Costa.
UFC 302 Embedded, Episode 1
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Prediction
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