UFC Fight Night 231: Jailton Almeida vs Derrick Lewis 11/04/2023 Fight Preview, Prediction and Picks

UFC Fight Night 231: Almeida vs Lewis 11/04/2023 – Heavyweight fighters Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis clash in the main event of the UFC Fight Night 231 on Saturday, November 4, at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The five-round tussle is the highlight of the six-fight main card that will kick off at 9:00 PM ET. The Almeida-Lewis fight will be screened on live television via ESPN+ for US audiences and UFC Fight Pass will stream the match live. Almeida improved his UFC winning streak to five matches with a one-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

On the other hand, Lewis is fresh from a 33-second technical knockout win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima that extended his UFC record for most knockout wins to 14. Almeida is the overwhelming favorite in online UFC odds but Lewis’ capability to knockout opponents will make it difficult for the Brazilian to secure a crucial victory in the heavyweight division.

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Main Card

Jailton Almeida

Almeida (19-2, 5-0 UFC) has become one of the fastest-rising stars in the heavyweight division as he was able to win all of his matches inside the distance. In his first three UFC fights, the Brazilian was able to finish his opponents in the first round. Shamil Abdurakhimov was a bit lucky in January as he was able to survive the first round but Almeida continued his aggressive style in the second round en route to another stoppage win. In his last fight against Rozenstruik, he was able to tie up the Surinamese fighter and forced a tap out due to rear naked choke in just three minutes and 43 seconds in the first round. His feats inside the octagon catapulted him to No9 in the heavyweight rankings.

Almeida has won all of his fights via stoppage with seven of his wins coming by way of knockout. The rest were by the submission method. He averages 3.81 significant strikes landed per minute at an accuracy rate of 64%. The Brazilian is difficult to reach as he has only absorbed 0.30 strikes per minute and has a 25% significant strike defense rate in his fights. He puts a premium on his takedowns as he has averaged 6.40 takedowns per 15 minutes. Almeida was able to connect an efficient 68% of his takedowns and his takedown defense percentage is 50%. His submission average is also high at 2.5 per 15 minutes.

Derrick Lewis

Lewis (27-11, 1 NC; 18-9 UFC) will fight for the 28th time inside the octagon and he has been a tough customer in his nine-year career in the UFC. The American was able to beat the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. However, he has not been able to step up when everything is on the line as evidenced by his loss to Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight championship in November 2018 and Ciryl Gane for the interim title in August 2021. Following his loss to Gane, Lewis has suffered losses to Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich and Sergey Spivak. Fortunately in July, he was given another opportunity and knocked out Marcos Rogerio de Lima in only 33 seconds. The win gave Lewis his 14th knockout win in the UFC, extending his record.

In terms of statistics, Lewis has won 23 of his matches via stoppage, with 22 coming by way of knockout. The American has averaged 2.60 significant strikes landed per minute and his striking accuracy is 50%. He has absorbed 2.59 strikes per minute and his defense rate against his opponents strikes is 41%. He is not known for grappling as he has only averaged 0.59 takedowns per 15 minutes and his accuracy is just 28%. His takedown defense, however, is respectable as has defended 52% of the takedowns launched against him. He has not been able to land a successful submission attempt in his UFC career.