What’s a new name in the heavyweight division to do when the top is
so mapped out already?
Jon Jones, the
current champ, is out with an injury after he had been scheduled to
face
Stipe
Miocic in a couple weeks. That led to
Tom
Aspinall and
Sergei
Pavlovich being booked to fight for the interim title, ranked
No. 2 and No. 4 respectively.
For
Jailton
Almeida, the new kid on the block, breaking into the top of the
division will require him to play the long game as the division
sorts out. Headlining “UFC Sao Paulo,” Almeida looks to continue
his unbeaten streak in the UFC and beat the fan favorite
Derrick
Lewis.
Lewis is the power puncher. So how does Almeida, a grappler, avoid
this? What does he do to get in on the hips and keep the fight
there? In this week’s Beforemath column, we will look at that.
The Lewis Threat
For Almeida, the threat will be the power of Lewis. He’s the
hardest hitter in UFC history, point blank. He’s not technical and
he’s not fun to analyze. Lewis likes to time the uppercut off a
takedown and brawl. It’s gotten Lewis to two title fights in the
heavyweight division. His power is unparalleled.