Jailton Almeida has warned interim-heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall that he’ll have to be patient when he attempts to defend his belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July.
Like Aspinall, Almeida is known for finishing fights early, but his six-fight winning streak came to an abrupt halt back at UFC 299 in March when his eagerness to continue that streak against Blaydes got him in trouble, leading to an early 2nd round KO defeat.
As such, though he picks Aspinall as the favorite in the upcoming title showdown, Almeida believes that he has to be mindful of his approach so that he doesn’t end up in a bad situation.
“I think Aspinall is going to win,” Almeida told MMA Junkie [translated]. “He’s a more complete fighter. He has a lot of respect for his career.
“I do believe that Curtis is a very strategic fighter and Aspinall will have to be very patient, just as I wasn’t. Aspinall will have to be very patient and understand to when he can throw himself at Curtis, because Curtis will be waiting for him. On the floor, probably.”
Despite offering him advice, Almeida expects that it’s only a matter of time before he faces Aspinall in the Octagon, while naturally he’s also eager to get back that recent loss to Blaydes too.
First things first though, Almeida now has to get past Alexander Romanov who he will face at UFC 302 in June.
“I want to fight Aspinall in the future, and I also would like to come back and fight with Curtis once again,” Almeida said. “I’m looking for revenge, and I know the first step is to have a victory (at UFC 302).”
