Parker Porter believes Jailton Almeida fight is a “lose-lose” for him, hopes to earn first UFC finish

Parker Porter was surprised when he found out he would be fighting Jailton Almeida.

Porter has strung together three straight wins and on a month’s notice, he got the call to fight Almeida which surprised him. The Brazilain is 1-0 in the UFC and is a light heavyweight so Porter never expected to face Almeida.

“I don’t think either of us had each other on our radar,” Porter said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “It was one of those situations where from my understanding his opponent had to pull out and he really wanted to fight. The UFC hit my manager up and offered it and up and we were like I guess so, why now.”

Entering the fight, Porter knows his size and strength can play a factor as he is one of the bigger heavyweights on the roster. However, he believes Almeida will have the speed advantage so it will come down to who can implement their game plan better.

“I think it will be a little bit tougher for him. But, most guys that are heavyweight or 205 all train with each other so I don’t think my size will be too much of an advantage but I think it will help,” Porter said. “The same thing for him being a little smaller will help me in aspects but will be tricky in other aspects like we expect him to be quicker than the other heavyweights.”

Not only does Parker Porter believe he will have the strength advantage, but he says his power can also be a big difference. He knows getting hit by a heavyweight and a light heavyweight are much different and he hopes that will lead to a stoppage win.

Along with that, Porter believes his size and strength will give Almeida problems in getting him down. If he can keep it standing, Porter says his confidence will only grow.

“I think I’ve got the better striker and his grappling is better than mine but not as much better as my striking is to his… All of his wins are by finish by ground and pound or finish, I think he might have a decision to two on there,” Porter said. “He’s really well known for his grappling and we expect him to be looking for that. Just take it as it comes. I’m still looking for my first finish in the UFC and I would love to make sure I can get a finish here but I’m just always looking to get the win.”

Should Porter pull off the upset and beat Jailton Almeida at UFC Vegas 55 he’s unsure what it will do for him. He says it’s sort of a lose-lose situation as he won’t gain anything from a win, so instead, he’s viewing this as an opportunity to get paid.

“I don’t know, I was just talking about this. It’s almost like a lose-lose situation for me. It’s like I win, and great I beat a light heavyweight but it doesn’t move me up in the rankings but I keep the win streak going, there’s that positive to it and it’s another payday,” Porter said. “But, if I lose, a light heavyweight just took my streak away and I don’t get to gain anything from his progression either. It’s definitely an odd situation, but at the end of the day we are prize fighters.”

Do you think Parker Porter will beat Jailton Almeida at UFC Vegas 55?