The UFC announced that the heavyweight matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida will serve as the main event for UFC Charlotte.
Heavyweights are set to headline the UFC’s return to North Carolina in May. The promotion announced that the matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida will serve as the main event for UFC Charlotte, which takes place on May 13 at the Spectrum Center. The light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker, initially slated to headline the event, will now be the co-main event.
Smith shared his thoughts on the change: “The UFC contacted my manager yesterday and said we were getting bumped to co-main event and the fight would now be three rounds. I wasn’t told who the new main event would be. It is what it is. First fight of the night, last fight of the night or somewhere in between — it makes no difference to me. I’m focused on only myself and the things I can control.”
Rozenstruik is coming off a 23-second knockout victory over Chris Daukaus at UFC 282. He is 7-4 in the UFC, with several fast finishes under his belt, such as a 29-second knockout of Andrei Arlovski and a nine-second knockout of Allen Crowder. On the other hand, Almeida has shown himself to be a top contender in his four UFC appearances, finishing all of his octagon opponents so far. He recently fought at UFC 283, where he won against heavyweight veteran Shamil Abdurakhimov with a ground-and-pound knockout in the second round. The Brazilian standout has an impressive 13-fight winning streak.