UFC Charlotte live blog: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida

This is the UFC Charlotte live blog for Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida, the heavyweight main event on Saturday in Charlotte, NC.

Entering the UFC in 2019 with a perfect 6-0 professional record, Rozenstruik quickly announced himself as one of the top heavyweights in the world, scoring four knockout victories to put himself in a title eliminator bout with Francis Ngannou. Twenty seconds later, it all came crashing down. Since then, Rozenstruik has struggled to find that same form, winning three of his next six, and finding himself at a crossroads in the heavyweight division. Coming off a knockout victory over Chris Daukaus in December, Rozenstruik now hopes to steal the hype of Almeida and reinsert himself in the title conversation.

Arguably the most exciting heavyweight prospect to come along in years, Almeida barnstormed the MMA world in 2022, scoring three first-round submission victories in three fights and taking home MMA Fighting’s Rookie of the Year honors. Following that up with another near-perfect performance against Shamil Abdurakhimov in January, Almeida now has his eyes on a top-10 ranking and a title shot with a win over Rozenstruik.

Check out the UFC Charlotte main event live blog below.