Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov is a fight that has been verbally agreed to and could meaningfully inform the heavyweight hierarchy in 2025. Multiple people close to the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting that this contest is being targeted for UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25th. While contracts have yet to be signed between Almeida and Volkov, that aforementioned verbal agreement between the two indicates some movement is finally transpiring within a weight category that has been congested for a while now.
With Jon Jones announcing his retirement from MMA as the reigning UFC champion with interim champion Tom Aspinall being upgraded to UFC heavyweight champion outright, this reported Volkov-Almeida matchup represents some broader traction being established after the matchmaking between top-ranked heavyweight contenders has progressed at a glacial pace in recent times.
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov and the potential stakes
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Volkov is seemingly on track to being made official sooner rather than later, and considering their placement in the division, the victor could potentially jettison toward a title shot thereafter. While both men presumably had a certain level of intrigue with being Aspinall’s first official title defense, this matchup seems like it would almost be the next best thing.
With Volkov being ranked two and Almeida being positioned at number five in the division, it would make a lot of sense that heavyweight title eliminator stakes could be attached to this reported Q4 2025 fight. Volkov looks to rebound after a supremely controversial decision loss to Ciryl Gane, while Almeida looks to extend his winning streak to three straight after bouncing back from his sole UFC loss, which took place against Curtis Blaydes.
There was some prior discourse about a Summer meeting between Almeida and Volkov, with the latter seemingly not being interested in that particular fight timeline. Based on recent reports, it seems like this fight will eventually come to fruition, albeit in a later season.
