Jailton Almeida | Winner Takes It All

It's a night that showcases the best of the UFC's heavyweight division, and Almeida said that victory over Volkov should be enough to earn him the next shot, regardless of how he gets it.

"I think, with the body of work that I have, the win is what really matters," he explained. “I have a very highly-ranked opponent in front of me, and I think if I do beat him, there's no one else that has as much right to be fighting for the title as I (will).

RELATED: Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane

"So, it doesn't really matter if I can get it. I'm gonna always be working for a finish. But if it doesn't come, I think the win alone is still gonna be good enough."

Almeida's run to the sharp end of the heavyweight division hasn't come without its drawbacks. Since earning a UFC contract with a submission win on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2021, Almeida has fought nine times in the Octagon, going 8-1 during that time.

That lone Octagon defeat came at the heavy hands of Curtis Blaydes, who was able to neutralize Almeida's takedown attempts before stopping him with elbows and hammerfists in the second round at UFC 299. In terms of his momentum, it was a huge setback for Almeida, who could potentially have found himself in a title eliminator with victory that night.

Instead, he was forced to go back to the drawing board and regroup. The work he did in the aftermath of that defeat turned the negative of the result into a net positive as he returned to action a batter fighter.

WATCH: UFC 321 Embedded

"I think you can learn a lot from it. So, as someone said before, you win or you learn, and that's what I'm taking from it," he said.  “I went back to the gym, got back to the grind, kept working, and I believe that I have improved since then. That's what a loss is – it's what you make of it."

An improved and refocused Almeida needed less than half a round to finish Alexandr Romanov via rear-naked choke at UFC 302. Then, in January this year, he finished Serghei Spivac via first-round TKO to put himself in line for Saturday night's crucial clash with Volkov.

Volkov presents a significant challenge, with his towering 6-foot-7 frame and 80-inch reach, but Almeida says he's analyzed the big Russian's skill set and has spotted the openings in his game that he plans to exploit on fight night.

"I think that Volkov, in his last few fights, he showed a lot of things that we can work on," he suggested. "You guys know what I do. You know what I want to go in for. And if I can get him with his back on the ground, I know that I'm going to be able to possibly find a submission. So, that's the big thing.

Order UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane

"We saw the fight with Gane. He showed some of his grappling, especially the holes in his grappling, and that's what I'm going to be working on."

While it's no secret that grappling offers Almeida his strongest potential route to victory, he was keen to stress that he isn't entering Saturday night's fight with a one-dimensional gameplan and warned that his striking could also play a pivotal role in his success.

"As far as the striking part goes, I know that I'm more athletic than him, I'm faster than him, (and) I'm more agile than him. So, as much as he might have the range on me, I think that I can probably run circles on him." he said. "My goal is usually to take it to the ground, but like, if you saw my last fight, I'm feeling more comfortable on the stand up, so I might work a little bit more with that. One thing helps the other, so it's good to have everything in my pocket.

"If I have the opportunity to strike with him and maybe lead to a knockout, that's what I'm going to do. If I see the opportunity to take him to the ground and work from there, that's what I'm going to do. So, it all depends on how the fight flows."

Almeida also said that, after his planned victory, he plans to be there at Octagonside to watch the main event as Aspinall and Gane do battle for the belt. And he plans to finish the night back inside the Octagon, facing off with the winner.

"Whoever wins my fight is probably going to be the next title contender, and God-willing, and we're going to get the win," he said. "I'm going to be waiting there at the bleachers, waiting for whoever wins, and (plan) to come in there and make my challenge known."