J. Rozenstruik (right) returns to the octagon on December 7th. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jairzinho.rozenstruik
Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg.) Jairzinho Rozenstruik is close to having the most important fight of his life this Saturday (7), for UFC Washington. The athlete, who accepted, at the last minute, the challenge of facing alistair overeem will have the chance to make a big leap in the division if they beat the Dutch giant in this weekend's main fight. In an interview with 'BJPenn.com', the athlete spoke about his expectations for the commitment.
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“(For me), it’s very important. A win over Overeem will put me close to a title fight, and I can't wait for that to happen. I'm the first fighter from Suriname to play in the UFC and having a main fight is really big for us. I’m happy to be in a position to represent my country at the highest level of MMA”, said Jairzinho.
Rozenstruik, however, didn't have much time to prepare for Overeem. The athlete accepted the challenge at the last minute after Walt Harris to move away from the confrontation to deal with the family drama experienced in recent weeks, after the disappearance of his stepdaughter.
Jairzinho performed for the last time in the confrontation against the former division champion, Andrei Arlovski, in one of the fights of UFC 244, in early November. On that occasion, the fighter from Senegal achieved a great victory by knocking out Arlovski in less than 30 seconds of confrontation.
For Rozenstruik, however, the lack of time to focus on a strategy against Alistair will not be the problem. As he had no serious injuries in his last appearance, the fighter did not hesitate when agreeing to face Overeem, who currently occupies sixth place in the heavyweight rankings.
“I'm always ready. It was perfect timing because I'm coming off a fight where I didn't take any damage. For me, it's a great opportunity. If I think about my future, when would I have an opportunity like this? Never. That’s why I accepted,” she declared.
Against the Dutchman, Jairzinho is fully aware that he will face a high-level opponent with vast experience within the sport. Therefore, any inattention can be fatal. So, the combatant guarantees that the fight will be defined based on a mistake.
“All fights are different. I try to be one step ahead of my opponent. The fact is, I'm ready. I'm ready for Overeem and as soon as he makes a mistake, I'll be able to end the fight. Any mistake will be punished with a knockout. One mistake, and that’s it”, concluded the fighter.
The clash against Alistair will represent Rozenstruik's fourth appearance of the year. Having debuted in February, the athlete needed three victories to be in 14th place in the category ranking. In nine appearances as a professional in MMA, Jairzinho never tasted defeat and only failed to triumph by knockout on one occasion.
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