Rising heavyweight Jailton Almeida has another fight booked ahead of his UFC 299 clash with Curtis Blaydes – and it’s one he’ll happily lose.
Brazilian MMA promotion Demo Fight announced Wednesday that “Malhadinho” will take on Alvaro Borges, an athlete with Down syndrome, in a MMA exhibition at its upcoming show Demo Fight 18 in Salvador, Brazil, on Jan. 27.
“I’m very happy to be part of this event and help Alvaro’s dream come true of fighting MMA again,” Almeida said.
Borges competes regularly in special jiu-jitsu tournaments in Brazil and internationally, and he’s entered the cage before for a charity MMA bout under the Demo Fight banner, getting his hand raised in the end.
Demo Fight promoter Demistocles Brito explained that his decision to book special matches come from his love for an autistic nephew, and noticing how sports have helped his development.
“Demo Fight’s goal is to not only reveal new talents, but also promote inclusion,” Brito told MMA Fighting. “We started doing that at Demo Fight 11 with one-handed fighter Marney Maxx, and then we did a grappling match with two blind athletes. In our last event we had Alvaro fighting MMA for the first time, and now he’s going for his second against Malhadinho.”
For Almeida, his next assignment inside the UFC cage is a three-round battle with Curtis Blaydes in Miami, and he looks to put his name in the conversation for a shot at the heavyweight championship.
Almeida most recently fought in Sao Paulo, defeating short-notice replacement Derrick Lewis via decision. The Brazilian is unbeaten so far in the UFC with six victories, five of those via stoppage.
Almeida isn’t the first UFC vet to help a special needs person live out their dream. In 2015, one-time middleweight title challenger Nate Quarry came out of retirement for an exhibition bout with Jake Beckmann, who also has Down syndrome.
“It was just so great to hear everyone just screaming and yelling and so supportive of what he’s gone through,” Quarry told MMA Fighting. “That was a big part of the reason why I was doing this, to let people know that this isn’t a spectacle. This is just a young man with some goals and dreams and things that he wants to accomplish, and if I can be a part of that, I’m going to.”
Former UFC star Diego Sanchez also participated in an exhibition bout with Down syndrome competitor Isaac Marquez in 2017. Sanchez praised “The Shermanator” for his dedication to training and went on to “lose” their match via first-round armbar.
This story originally appeared on MMA fighting