He took the criticism to heart! Malhadinho acknowledges his mistake and promises a drastic change against the Russian fighter at UFC Vegas 113.

Happy little guy during training. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

At UFC Vegas 113, an event that takes place this Saturday (7), Jailton Malhadinho faces Rizvan Kuniev The heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg) fighter aims not only to recover within the company, but also to erase the bad impression left against him. Alexander VolkovAnd, apparently, the Brazilian is ready to present a very different version in the octagon.

During the event's 'media day', Malhadinho promised to return to his roots, meaning to be aggressive in ground and pound. In October, during his split decision loss to the Russian giant, the athlete secured takedowns, but even when on top, he attacked little and barely managed to inflict any damage.

Due to his passive stance, the Brazilian was harshly criticized by fans, MMA professionals, and even Dana White. Humble, Malhadinho agreed that his lack of aggression was decisive in his defeat to Volkov and assured that he had learned his lesson.

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“There is no defeat. There is learning. I learned a lot from this defeat, obviously. I took a lot from what many people said about being a little more aggressive, having more aggression. I think it was just that detail. I managed to finish the rest. I controlled the fight from the top, but that little detail left me with a nagging feeling,” said the fighter.

“Actually, I lacked aggression in that fight, obviously. I was trained for it, but I didn't have the confidence to execute it. I think that was the only issue. My own mindset created the idea in my head that I wasn't confident enough to do it,” he concluded.

Malhadinho's MMA Fighters

Jailton Malhadinho, 34 years old, is one of Brazil's top MMA fighters today. The athlete is part of the elite heavyweight division and is ranked sixth in the UFC's heavyweight rankings.

The Brazilian began his career in the sport in 2012 and debuted in its largest organization in 2022. In his career, the Bahia native built a record of 22 wins, 21 by stoppage (13 by submission and 8 by knockout), and four losses. His main victories were against Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik e Serghei Spivac.