What’s next for Jairzinho Rozenstruik? – 3 possible opponents
Jairzinho Rozenstruik punched his way (pun intended) to a fourth round TKO victory over Shamil Gaziev last night at UFC Vegas 87. The win was a rebound after being choked out by Jailton Almeida last May. Now “Bigi Boy” is looking ahead to what could be next for his time in the heavyweight division.
The banger: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Derrick Lewis
Derrick Lewis has seemingly fought everyone. That is except for Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Lewis, ranked 10th, is 2-5 in his last seven. He is ahead of Rozenstruik in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings. Being on such a skid means Lewis should fight down and Rozenstruik should probably fight up after his win. The match timing makes sense as well.
Two heavy hitters, Lewis is no stranger to fighting someone with his power. Sharing the cage with names like Mark Hunt, Junior Dos Santos, and Tai Tuivasa, Lewis loves to put on a show. (We do not count that match with Francis Ngannou.)
Adding Rozenstruik to Lewis’ resume makes sense and a fight with Lewis moves Rozenstruik up in the rankings should he win.
Alexandr Romanov: Can he beat a grappler?
It’s no secret Rozenstruik struggles with the grappling portion of mixed martial arts. Jailton Almeida and Curtis Blaydes both grappled their way to victory. A bout with Alexandr Romanov would be that type of test but one Rozenstruik could win.
Romanov is a grappler first but has cardio issues. Despite being a slugger, Rozenstruik has showed that he’s capable of going the distance and wearing an opponent slowly.
He showed that he can stop a takedown at times at UFC Vegas 87. But Gaziev did get him down. Romanov would be a similar fighter without the hands and more takedown oriented. This fight would answer questions for Rozenstruik going forward.
Serghei Spivac: Back to the top 10?
The last option I’ll pitch for Jairzinho Rozenstruik is Serghei Spivac. Spivac is ranked eighth and is a grappling opponent as well. This fight is also winnable, but Spivac doesn’t have the cardio problems that Romanov has. On the flip side, he also doesn’t possess the power of Derrick Lewis.
It’s sort of the best of both worlds: Rozenstruik gets a top ten opponent and gets to test himself against a grappler. Spivac has a win over Lewis but was outclassed by Ciryl Gane in his last outing. This fight could be the one that Rozenstruik needs.
