Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida collide in Saturday’s main event, as the heavyweights share the Octagon, each focused on taking another step forward in the wide-open division.
Now beginning his fifth year on the UFC roster, Rozenstruik enters off a rapid knockout win over Chris Daukaus at UFC 282 that snapped a two-fight skid. The native of Suriname has gone 3-4 over his last seven after beginning his time in the Octagon with four straight stoppage wins, but it’s hard to fault him for incurring losses to former champ Francis Ngannou, former interim champ Ciryl Gane, and top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.
CHARLOTTE FREE FIGHTS: Jarzinho Rozenstruik vs Augusto Sakai | Jailton Almeida vs Anton Turkalj
Almeida punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round submission win on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) and showed out in his promotional debut at light heavyweight against Danilo Marques. But it’s been since transitioning to heavyweight where “Malhadinho” has really impressed, as he’s racked up three additional stoppage wins to climb into the Top 15 and establishing himself as the top new threat in the division.
This is a fascinating fight on a number of levels. Firstly, Rozenstruik is the most explosive and dangerous opponent the surging Brazilian has faced to date, and it will be interesting to see how Almeida deals with that test. Secondly, it’s a classic clash of styles, as “Bigi Boy” is a powerful, accomplished kickboxer with serious power, while his counterpart prefers to grapple and handle business on the ground.
Will the veteran Rozenstruik prevail, or will Almeida show he’s ready to face the top names in the division?
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