Serghei Spivac responds to Jailton Almeida's challenge after UFC Vegas 95: “Let him train”

Serghei Spivac is ready for anyone, including Jailton Almeida.

On Saturday, Spivac scored the eighth win of his UFC career by submitting Marcin Tybura with an armbar in the main event of UFC Vegas 95. The win avenged an earlier loss to Tybura and moves “Polar Bear” up the MMA Fighting Global Heavyweight Rankings. But even though he is only 29 years old and now back on the winning list, Spivac knows there are still plenty of opportunities ahead of him up the career ladder.

“I'm definitely going to take a break,” Spivac said in his post-fight press conference. “I'm getting healthy. But when people ask me what's next, it's very difficult for me to say because a lot of things can change very quickly in the heavyweight division. So it's good for me if the UFC says who's next instead of me having to decide. I realize that tournaments are every Saturday, every week, so I'm going to wait and see what's next.”

“What's next?” may be a fairly straightforward question. In his post-fight speech on Saturday, Tybura called for a fight against anyone ranked higher than him, and No. 7 Jailton Almeida was quick to answer the call.

“Spivak, you want someone above you in the rankings? I'm here!! #7 vs. #8. I want to fight, brother! I'm glad you're finishing early so we can fight soon!”

Almeida suffered his first loss in the UFC earlier this year when he was knocked out by Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299, but rebounded with a submission win over Alexandr Romanov at UFC 302. A fight between Almeida and Spivac would be a treat for any wrestler, and since Spivac is not an overly talkative person, he was very direct in his response to Almeida's attack when asked about it.

“Let him train,” Spivac said.

Spivac made it clear several times that night that he doesn't want to challenge anyone in particular, as he always wants to be respectful, but he is willing to fight anyone the UFC gives him. The only thing he would ask for is a timetable. Spivac and his partner are having their first child in a few weeks, so he wants to take some time before returning before 2025.

“The end of the year would be great,” Spivac said. “I would come back at the end of the year as long as I stay healthy.”