Jailton Almeida is headed back down.<\/p>\n
It took less than two days after his most recent loss for Almeida (22-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) to inform the UFC he’s moving to light heavyweight for his next bout.<\/p>\n
His manager, Tiago Okamura of On The Road Management, confirmed the move to MMA Junkie following an initial report by Brazilian reporter Laerte Viana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Almeida, 34, lost a decision to Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Fight Night 266 on Saturday in yet another lackluster affair. The loss came on the heels of a largely dull bout vs. Alexander Volkov, which Almeida lost by controversial decision.<\/p>\n The belief by Almeida’s team is that size and strength is contributing not only to his defeats, but also the low action. Almeida often weighs in the 230 to 240-pound range, while many opponents tip the scales at the 265 max.<\/p>\n Almeida won his UFC contract at light heavyweight on Dana White’s Contender Series, then debuted in the division. Both were successful missions, but when he dominated a short-notice opportunity vs. Parker Porter at heavyweight, he decided to stick there.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Almeida became a contender in the division with wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Serghei Spivac, and Alexandr Romanov, among others. Now, he’ll look to do the same and more at light heavyweight.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC heavyweight contender announces he’s changing divisions<\/a><\/p>\n