Top-ranked heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Alexander Volkov are set to collide in a three-round bout at UFC 302 on June 1, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Super Lutas first reported the news.
The pay-per-view card is targeted for Newark, N.J., but the company has yet to announce the location and headlining attraction.
Almeida (20-3) suffered his first MMA loss in over six years when he fought Curtis Blaydes this past March in Miami. “Malhadinho”, who managed to take Blaydes down at will in round one, was knocked out in the second.
Almeida was victorious in his previous six UFC bouts, including wins over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Volkov (37-10) is on a roll since 2022, stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexandr Romanov with strikes in less than five minutes combined before choking out Tai Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke in September 2023.
“Drago”, a former Bellator heavyweight champion, won 11 of 15 under the UFC banner, including finishes over Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Stefan Struve.
