Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Jailton
Almeida.
The UFC’s release of Almeida set fire to the internet on
Wednesday. After two lackluster fights, the top-10 UFC heavyweight
was let go despite a promotional record of 8-3. The unexpected cut
immediately reached the trending topics of MMA world with media,
fans and fighters discussing the reason in a division where
Tai
Tuivasa suffered his sixth straight loss and still remains on
the roster.
Some of performances rubbed the UFC brass the wrong way, namely
when Almeida outgrappled Derrick
Lewis in a dreadful five-rounder where he unleashed very little
damaging offense. His slow, plodding decision defeats to Alexander
Volkov and Rizvan
Kuniev spelled his undoing, and UFC veteran Gilbert
Burns picked up on that. “Durinho” shared his opinion through
his YouTube channel
on Thursday about his countryman’s release, bringing up two very
important points that may explain the UFC´s decision.
“I think it was a warning from UFC to all fighters,” Burns
remarked. “Paramount just put a lot of money here. We are in a new
era. We need entertainment.”
“Durinho” also made sure to add another aspect most did not
address: the athlete’s management team might not have been doing
the best job they could to keep him under contract.
“I don’t know [Almeida’s] manager and I don’t want to say anything
bad about this guy,” Burns noted cautiously. “But the managers must
understand that they work for the fighters. After Lewis and Volkov,
probably [the] UFC told him that they didn’t like his performances.
The manager should have warned the trainers and ‘Malhadinho’ about
that in order to totally change his attitude in the Octagon.”
Manage This
Furthering his point on the role of managers in the sport of MMA,
Burns harped on the importance of the manager to maintain a solid
relationship with the company. He noted that his management team
helmed by Ali Abdelaziz handled a similar issue for a future
champion, helping out a fighter that may have not reached that
opportunity if not for them.
“I remember that Ali once told me the UFC didn’t like Kamaru
[Usman],” Burns recalled. “He promoted a dinner with Kamaru and
[UFC President and CEO] Dana [White], who finally started to like
Kamaru and created a relationship. After that, his career reached
another level. And something similar happened to me when I accepted
to face [Khamzat]
Chimaev. But unfortunately, most managers don’t behave like
Ali, they think that fighters will fire them if they have a good
contact with the boss.”
The ex-welterweight title challenger knows that the MMA landscape
outside of the UFC is not what it once was, and options for big men
like Almeida are limited. Burns only saw one reasonable path for
his fellow Brazilian to carry on at the highest level.
“Before we had Bellator and other events, today there is just one
way, PFL. I truly hope ‘Malhadinho’ gets two amazing
knockouts there and gets his way back to the UFC. I really wish the
best for him,” Burns finished.