5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida

The UFC’s latest Fight Night event is in the books, and while it lacked name value, it turned out to be a solid show.

UFC Fight Night: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida saw a total of seven finishes in 11 bouts, making it a treat for the fans in Charlotte, North Carolina.

So, who came away with the biggest victories and who might advance up the ladder the furthest after this one?

Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Jailton Almeida.

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#5. Carlos Ulberg – defeated Ihor Potieria in a UFC light heavyweight bout

Carlos Ulberg has now won his last four fights in a row

The fastest knockout last night came from prelim fighter Bryan Battle, while it’s arguable that the most violent was produced by either Matt Brown or Ian Garry.

However, Carlos Ulberg’s knockout of Ihor Potieria was just as impressive and should elevate him into title contention at 205 pounds.

The training partner of Israel Adesanya played things smart and allowed ‘The Duelist’ to come to him, always staying slightly out of range of his shots.

When Potieria then got desperate and swung a haymaker, Ulberg countered with a perfectly placed short left hand, dropped him face-first, and finished him off seconds later.

The win was the fourth in a row for ‘Black Jag’, with the last three coming via knockout. Given the generally thin nature of the 205-pound division, it might be enough to get him a top 15 ranking.

Even if doesn’t turn out to be enough, he’ll almost certainly be given that chance in his next fight. For now at least, the $50k bonus should be enough to consider him one of last night’s big winners.

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#4. Ian Garry – defeated Daniel Rodriguez in a UFC welterweight bout

Ian Garry lived up to the hype last night

There was quite a bit of pressure on the shoulders of Ian Garry coming into last night’s event.

Once labeled as the 'new Conor McGregor', the Irishman had won his first four bouts in the UFC. Despite that, he hadn’t quite lived up to the hype around him.

Last night, though, he quietened any doubts about his abilities by taking out Daniel Rodriguez with frightening ease.

Prior to this bout, ‘D-Rod’ had beaten the likes of Kevin Lee and Li Jingliang and had generally looked like a tough out for anyone at 170 pounds. He was also ranked No.15 in the division.

That didn’t matter to Garry, though. ‘The Future’ put him on the back foot from the off, and just before the three-minute mark, he landed a picture-perfect head kick that put Rodriguez down.

Moments later, the Irishman closed the show with a flurry of punches, finishing his toughest test to date without taking any damage himself.

It’s likely that Garry will now steal Rodriguez’s ranking, and this win should open up some big fights for him in the future.

More importantly, it was the first time he’d looked like a potential title contender, showing that the UFC’s slow build for him has been perfect. Hopefully, fans will get to see him in action again soon.

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#3. Matt Brown – defeated Court McGee in a UFC welterweight bout

Matt Brown tied a UFC record with a big knockout last night at UFC Charlotte

Matt Brown is on the wrong side of 40 years old now – he even had flecks of gray in his hair last night – and he’s realistically at the tail end of his career in the UFC. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of spectacular feats in the octagon given the chance.

Last night, Court McGee gave him that chance, fighting far too recklessly, and ‘The Immortal’ needed just over four minutes to make him pay.

‘The Crusher’ threw a telegraphed jab out, and Brown countered with a vicious right hand that knocked the TUF 11 winner senseless. He didn’t even have to follow up the shot, instead channeling his inner Mark Hunt for a walk-off KO.

Brown will never be in title contention again, but the fact that he can still pull this kind of thing off at the age of 42 is truly remarkable.

This finish even tied him with Derrick Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history with 13, and it appears that he isn’t done yet. Add in a nice $50k bonus, and the night couldn’t have gone better for him.

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#2. Johnny Walker – defeated Anthony Smith in a UFC light heavyweight bout

Johnny Walker (right), pictured here against Thiago Santos, is in the best form of his career right now

He might not have gotten the finish he was hoping for, but in dominating Anthony Smith in a more methodical, less wild style than he’s used in the past, it was hard not to be impressed by Johnny Walker.

For probably the first time in his UFC career, Walker used his massive length and reach to his full potential, abusing ‘Lionheart’ from range using sniping punches and big leg kicks to keep him at bay.

By the third round, those low kicks had taken their toll and Smith appeared to be there for the taking. However, the fact that Walker didn’t rush in to finish him in a reckless manner was perhaps a sign of his growing maturity.

Sure, it’s unlikely that the promotion will be happy with this slight change in the Brazilian’s style, but it’s also hard to deny that it’s working. Walker has now won his last three bouts and seems highly likely to climb into the top five at 205 pounds, stealing Smith’s ranking.

Is he as fun to watch as he once was? No, but the UFC doesn’t always reward wildness. It rewards victories, though. Therefore, if Walker can keep up this form, he may well earn a title shot in the future. That makes him one of last night’s big winners.

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#1. Jailton Almeida – defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a UFC heavyweight bout

Jailton Almeida should now be considered a title contender [Image credit: UFC Twitter]

The biggest winner of last night’s event was undoubtedly Jailton Almeida.

‘Malhadinho’ came into his bout with Jairzinho Rozenstruik as a highly touted prospect in the UFC’s heavyweight division. After his dominating first round win, he should now be considered a title contender.

Was it a flawless performance? Perhaps not. His early takedown attempts seemed largely telegraphed, and while they worked, it’s not hard to imagine a better defensive wrestler stopping them.

However, once he got ‘Bigi Boy’ down, he thoroughly dismantled him, slicing through his guard into a dominant position before sinking the fight-ending rear naked choke.

Thus far at least, nobody has had an answer for the Brazilian’s skills inside the octagon, and while he might be treated to a harder stylistic test than this next time out, there’s no reason to doubt him now.

At just 31 years old, ‘Malhadinho’ is definitely a title threat, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hold the heavyweight belt in the future. Overall, this was absolutely his night.