Rivalries: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

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Opinions on Jairzinho Rozenstruik remain mixed ahead of his 10th assignment in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ranging from gatekeeper to contender and everything in between.

The American Top Team export will attempt to rebound from his latest setback when he toes the line against former Bellator MMA and M-1 Global champion Alexander Volkov in the UFC Fight Night 207 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After a 10-0 start to his professional career, the 34-year-old Rozenstruik has alternated wins and losses in each of his past five appearances. He last competed at UFC 266, where he wound up on the wrong side of a three-round unanimous decision against Curtis Blaydes on Sept. 25.

As Rozenstruik makes his way towards his confrontation with the 6-foot-7 Volkov, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped chart his course:

Alistair Overeem

Rozenstruik knocked out the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 World Grand Prix champion with a sweeping right hook in the fifth round of their UFC on ESPN 7 headliner on Dec. 7, 2019 at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. A late-notice substitution for Will Harris, the Surinamese heavyweight brought it to a close 4:56 into Round 5. Overeem used a combination of guile and brawn to build a substantial lead, controlling significant portions of the first four-plus rounds with cautious but intelligent standup, a stifling clinch, tactical takedowns and ground-and-pound. Rozenstruik was seemingly headed for his first MMA defeat in the waning seconds of the fifth period, but he followed a shovel uppercut with a searing right hand. The impact split Overeem’s upper lip and sat him down at the base of the cage. He jumped immediately to his feet but stumbled across the cage in a dazed state, leading referee Dan Miragliotta to call for the stoppage.

Francis Ngannou

No man can withstand the beastly Cameroon-born Frenchman at full blast—a lesson Rozenstruik learned the hard way when he was felled by punches in the first round of their UFC 249 heavyweight showcase on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Ngannou drew the curtain 20 seconds into Round 1. “The Predator” fought fire with fire and answered the previously unbeaten Rozenstruik’s blows with some of his own, wiping out his counterpart with a sweeping left hook and follow-up shots. It was Ngannou’s third sub-minute stoppage in four appearances and once again made him the No. 1 contender for the heavyweight throne.

Junior dos Santos

Rozenstruik bounced back from his 20-second knockout loss to Ngannou when he brought down “Cigano” with punches in the second round of their UFC 252 heavyweight feature on Aug. 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 3:47 into Round 2. Dos Santos probed for openings throughout a tepid first round, fired off intermittent overhand rights and kept the dangerous Surinamese kickboxer on his back foot. The middle stanza took on a similar tone—until Rozenstruik connected. A two-punch combination floored dos Santos at the base of the cage and set the stage for the finish. Rozenstruik flurried with punches and dropped the Brazilian a second time when he attempted to stand, forcing Miragliotta to spring into action.

Ciryl Gane

The impressive Frenchman climbed another rung on the heavyweight ladder with a unanimous decision over Rozenstruik in the UFC Fight Night 186 headliner on Feb. 27, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges saw it the same: 50-45 for Gane. Rozenstruik struggled to pull the trigger for five full rounds, prompting one of his cornermen slapping the canvas in frustration at one point in the middle of the fight. Perhaps the most compelling exchange between the two heavyweight contenders took place in the second round, where Gane tossed “Bigi Boy” off-balance and briefly threatened with a standing rear-naked choke before releasing his grip and retreating to the safety of open space. Gane was otherwise content to play matador on the outside, and he did so brilliantly. He switched stances throughout the 25-minute encounter, piled up points with jabs from both hands and darted in and out of danger, avoiding Rozenstruik’s notoriously heavy hands.