Nov 4, 2023; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Jailton Almeida (red gloves) fights Derrick Lewis (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ibirapuera Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
November 5, 2023 12: 04 am ET
Jailton Almeida’s rise through the heavyweight division took another step forward on Saturday when he dominated perennial contender Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 231 headliner.
Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) added to his perfect octagon start with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over former two-time title challenger Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) in the headlining bout, which took place at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Almeida’s victory over Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231.
BJ Penn
Those are some big boys 😅
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) November 5, 2023
Alan Jouban
Almeida has shown a Khamzat like ability so far in his UFC career. Style and dual weight classes. #UFCSaoPaulo
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) November 5, 2023
Bloody Elbow
Derrick Lewis taken down early in round 1. That’s a bad sign for the Black Beast. #UFCSaoPaulo
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 5, 2023
Nolan King
Lewis just powered out of Almeida’s mount and then was pretty immediately mounted again #UFCSP
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) November 5, 2023
Aaron Bronsteter
Jailton running out of ideas
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 5, 2023
Ariel Helwani
Damn.
Jailton Almeida steamrolls Derrick Lewis. Mounts him for like 4.5 minutes. Sub attempts et al.
And Lewis survives the round.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 5, 2023
Jalin Turner
Bro is just stopping his punches by grabbing his wrists 😂 he gotta be super strong
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) November 5, 2023
E. Casey Leydon
This is most Derrick Lewis fight ever.
— E. Casey Leydon (@ekc) November 5, 2023
Jalin Turner
Not the 30 on Derek gloves falling off 😭
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) November 5, 2023
Derek Brunson
These are the type of fights Derrick Lewis wins ? Lose 24 minutes and 53 seconds , KOs opp with 7 seconds left 😂😂😂 #UFCbrazil
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) November 5, 2023
Aaron Bronsteter
Derrick Lewis officially landed 6 significant strikes in the first round against Jailton Almeida, which is 3 times more than Almeida’s five previous UFC opponents combined.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 5, 2023
Lauren Murphy
This would be sweet if it was IBJJF
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) November 5, 2023
Jamahal Hill
Bro got the UF from his glove stuck to head lol
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) November 5, 2023
Jalin Turner
Ok here comes a come from behind ko by Lewis 😭👏🏾
— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) November 5, 2023
Kevin Iole
I think that’s another 10-8 for Almeida. Derrick is pinned nearly the entire round, and Almeida has had a few legit sub attempts. #UFCSaoPaulo
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) November 5, 2023
Jed Meshew
Jailton gotta learn how to fight and not just submission grapple. If he was punching Lewis this would’ve been over 8 minutes ago. Instead he’s letting Lewis linger.
— Jed Meshew II (@JedKMeshew) November 5, 2023
Anton Tabuena
Ref seriously warning him about a restart from mount? Smh.
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) November 5, 2023
Alexander K Lee
Almeida’s wrestling is really a joy to watch #UFCSP
— Alexander K Lee (@AlexanderKLee) November 5, 2023
Derek Brunson
Heavyweights get away with murder . I mean damn 😂😂😂
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) November 5, 2023
Ben Askren
Has no one ever taught Almeida how to ground and pound??
— Funky (@Benaskren) November 5, 2023
Terrance McKinney
Does Almeida not have hands or he knows his best plan is to just smother Lewis for 25 minutes?
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) November 5, 2023
Islam Makhachev
When you never training grappling 🤦♂️
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) November 5, 2023
Kevin Iole
Almeida once again has huge control time. He survived a scare when Lewis got up and was throwing. I have it 30-24 for Almeida at this stage. #UFCSaoPaulo
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) November 5, 2023
Chad Dundas
Derrick Lewis Submission Defense Instructional VHS Cassette Tape
— Chad Dundas (@chaddundas) November 5, 2023
Laura Sanko
Did NOT expect this to go to the 4th or 5th rounds…but here we are. #UFCSP
— Laura Sanko (@laura_sanko) November 5, 2023
Scott Fontana
R4 10-9 Almeida, going up 40-36. Still very patient, picking his spots to land ground strikes and attack subs but ultimately executing the vast majority of effective offense between the two. #UFCSP
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) November 5, 2023
Chael Sonnen
That’s GREAT co