UFC Shockingly Cuts Top-Ranked Heavyweight Star After UFC Fight Night Loss

What do you think of the UFC's decision to cut this heavyweight fighter?

Jasper Colt / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the UFC’s top-ranked heavyweight contenders has been cut from the promotion following back-to-back losses.

Currently on an off week before heading to Houston next Saturday for a card headlined by Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez, the UFC held its first fight night event of 2026 last weekend at the promotion’s Meta APEX facility in Las Vegas, NV.

The UFC Vegas 113 main event saw Mario Bautista submit Vinicius Oliveira in a battle between top-ranked bantamweight contenders, and earlier in the night Rizvan Kuniev broke into the UFC heavyweight rankings with a unanimous decision victory over Jailton Almeida.

Jailton Almeida Released After UFC Vegas 113

Ranked as the UFC’s #6 heavyweight contender coming into the fight with Kuniev, Almeida dropped two spots to #8 once the official rankings were updated several days after the event.

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Laerte Viana initially reported that “Malhadinho” was going to return to the light heavyweight division following what was his second loss in a row. According to a new report from Viana, Almeida has actually been released from the UFC in an unexpected move from the world’s leading MMA organization.

Jailton Almeida (red gloves) fights Serghei Spivac (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Brazilian was not included in a recent batch of removals from the UFC’s official roster, which saw Almeida’s fellow UFC Vegas 113 fighters Alex Morono and Javid Basharat exit the promotion, along with his countryman Lucas Almeida.

"Malhadinho" Was Close To A Heavyweight Title Shot Last Year

Almeida’s last two Octagon appearances weren’t exactly the most thrilling fights in the world, but it’s still a surprise to see the UFC release the 34-year-old after he went 8-3 since joining the promotion off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.

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Initially competing as a light heavyweight, Almeida made a full-time move to the heavyweight division during a six-fight win streak that kicked off his UFC career and established him as potential future title challenger. “Malhadinho” saw his winning run come to an end at UFC 299 when he was stopped by heavyweight staple Curtis Blaydes, but he rebounded from that setback with first-round finishes of Alexandr Romanov and Serghei Spivac.

Jailton Almeida (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Serghei Spivac (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Almeida closed out 2025 with a lackluster split decision loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC 321 before accepting a short-notice fight with Kuniev, who made his own Octagon debut last year and came up short against the aforementioned Blaydes at UFC Baku.

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