Almeida might have failed his first big test, but he should stay in
the upper crust of the UFC’s heavyweight division going forward.
“Malhadinho” came into the UFC as a top light heavyweight prospect
and essentially moved up a division on a lark. Almeida needed a
replacement opponent, and heavyweight Parker
Porter was the only man to step up. Almeida’s approach has
always centered around his aggressive wrestling and grappling
attack, so once a one-sided win over Porter proved that the
Brazilian was able to bully heavyweight-sized opponents, there was
every reason to try and make a charge up the ranks in a heavier
division. After running through a few more heavyweight opponents,
Almeida’s win over Derrick
Lewis in November was the first sign of some potential trouble.
Almeida dominated the fight for five rounds, but it was a bit
worrying that he was unable to find a submission over the course of
25 minutes. Then came the Brazilian’s bout against Curtis
Blaydes in March, which saw Almeida impressively outwrestle the
Elevation Fight Team rep for a round until he charged into a
knockout while attempting a takedown near the start of the second
stanza. Almeida looks to rebound against Romanov in a winnable
fight that’s just tough enough to be interesting, even if there are
some questions about exactly where the Moldovan stands at the
moment.
Romanov has also made his hay overwhelming opponents with an
aggressive wrestling attack. Despite his unimpressive frame,
Romanov seems to have some natural agility and athleticism, and his
regional career was marked by a surprising level of cardio while
wearing out his opposition. Romanov started his UFC career by
racking up five straight wins with little issue—even if his gas
tank was a bit less reliable than in the past—before hitting the
wall hard in a 2022 loss to Marcin
Tybura. Romanov got off to a dominant start, but some
combination of Tybura’s resistance and the elevation of Salt Lake
City left “King Kong” exhausted after a round and a sitting duck
for a decision loss. That was an understandable defeat, as was a
subsequent loss to Alexander
Volkov in March 2023, though the Volkov fight did raise a whole
new set of concerns. Romanov looked in terrible condition and
folded quickly against Volkov’s offense. Romanov didn’t look much
better aesthetically against Blagoy
Ivanov in July, but he put forth a much better performance,
with the Moldovan putting together a shockingly consistent
three-round effort for a clear decision victory. It’s hard to know
what version of Romanov will show up, but this does look like
Almeida’s fight to lose no matter what. It could start off as an
ugly wrestling and grappling match regardless of who gets the jump
on the other, but Almeida’s gas tank figures to hold up better over
the long haul. The pick is Almeida via second-round submission.
UFC News & Features
