‘Narcos’ Star Wagner Moura Graces Jailton Almeida’s Training Session

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida is coming into his own as a star.

A month before going into a headlining clash against Derrick Lewis in Sao Paulo, Almeida was pleasantly surprised with a visit from one of Brazil’s biggest superstars, Wagner Moura. Moura is known for playing roles like Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s “Narcos” and colonel Nascimento in “Elite Squad.” Moura, 47, is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

During a recent visit to his hometown of Salvador, Moura contacted Almeida’s physical therapist regarding a training session with the UFC star. While Almeida was in touch with Moura ahead of their training session on Oct. 5, “Malhadinho” had no idea he was talking to a superstar.

“He texted me saying his friend Wagner was a fan of mine and wanted to train, so I was like, ‘Sure, tell him to stop by for our gi session on Thursday,’” Almeida told MMAFighting's Trocação Franca podcast. “He sent me Wagner Moura’s number and I didn’t pay attention to the last name. He texted me the day before to confirm and I’m like, ‘Sure, all good.’”

“I’m putting the gi on in the gym and all of a sudden, my friend Samuel looks over and says, ‘Hey, it’s Colonel Nascimento!’ I thought he was joking with a friend of something, and then my coach Yuri Moura said, ‘Man, it’s Wagner Moura!’ Holy f—-, man. I was texting Wagner Moura on WhatsApp and thought it was just a regular person! [Laughs.]”

“F—-, I was so happy. A movie star went there to watch me train. That’s so gratifying. Never in a million years I thought that would happen. Really, I never imagined all of this happening in my life, all this hype in the UFC, but I always tell people that I remain the same person and same character because it all goes away so fast. We have to leave a legacy. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. To hear that from a movie icon, an exceptional actor, was very special.”

The Brazilian went on to secure a dominant unanimous decision victory against Derrick Lewis in their main event showdown at UFC Fight Night 231 on Saturday.