Jairzinho Rozenstruik Didn't Want Fight Vs. UFC Rising Star Jailton Almeida

Rozenstruik wanted a fighter ranked ahead of him after latest win, but gets a dangerous newcomer instead.

Daniel Wade | May 13, 2023

(UFC)

UFC Charlotte is headlined with a clash of heavyweights that is almost guaranteed to end in a finish. Unfortunately for Jairzinho Rozenstruik, it wasn't the fight he was hoping for.

At his pre-fight press conference the Suriname native bemoaned having to put his ranking on the line against an up-and-comer.

"First of all, we didn't want to do the fight. Off a good win, we wanted to fight someone higher in the rankings, and the UFC wanted the fight so the fight is happening"

Rozenstruik will enter the fight as the No.9 ranked heavyweight in the UFC, while No.12 ranked Jailton Almeida will be trying to steal his spot. After winning his last fight against Chris Daukaus last December, shutting down Almeida should get Rozenstruik the raise in competition he is after.

"It's going to be Tom Aspinall or Tai Tuivasa" Rozenstruik said of who his next opponent could be with a win over Almeida. "All of the other guys I've already fought".

Almeida is off to a blistering start to his career inside the Octagon. The Brazilian has won his first four career UFC fights, all finishes. Overall he has finished 13-straight opponents, and only one of his fights in the UFC has made it past the first round. His smothering style has made him a legitimate contender at the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.

What people could forget is that Rozenstruik had his own hot start once upon a time. "Bigi Boy" had four consecutive first round knockouts to begin his career in the UFC, with three of the finishes coming within the first minute. His hype train was derailed in devastating fashion after a knockout loss to the ferocious Francis Ngannou.

This fight will be Almeida's biggest test so far and will show if he can hang with the top dogs in the division. He will go into the fight as a favorite to win, but he can't forget that Rozenstruik has dynamite in his hands.

"Any wrong mistake, I will put him away".

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Published May 13, 2023

DANIEL WADE

Daniel Wade has been covering sports for almost ten years writing for multiple publications and hosting several podcasts. He has hosted the Locked On Chargers podcast for over 5 years and has had guest appearances covering the NFL for ESPN, Fox and other major outlets across the country. Dan has followed the UFC obsessively over the past several years and is ecstatic to break into the world of MMA writing.