J. Rozenstruik (photo) wants to face F. Ngannou in the future. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jairzinho.rozenstruik
Suriname's Jairzinho Rozenstruik is close to competing in the most important fight of his career so far, when, this Saturday (7), he will exchange forces against alistair overeem in the main fight of UFC Washington. If he wins, the athlete will make a big leap in the heavyweight division (up to 120,2kg) and already has his next target in sight: the dangerous Francis Ngannou. In an interview with 'ESPN' reporter, Ariel Helwani', the giant spoke about the meeting against the Dutchman and the expectation of challenging the French-Cameroonian in the future.
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“For me, defeating alistair overeem It means a lot, but the fight I'm looking for is against Francis Ngannou. He's big, he's scary and I think that's amazing. You put two heavyweights who are strong and hit hard for a war in the Octagon. I like exciting fights. For me, it would be a spectacular clash. That is the objective now”, stated Jairzinho.
Rozenstruik ended up 'parachuting' into this weekend's main fight. The athlete took on the challenge of facing Overeem at the last minute, after one of the protagonists, Walt Harris, leaving the card to deal with a family drama experienced after the disappearance of his stepdaughter.
The fighter from Suriname did not hesitate and saw the fight against Alistair as an opportunity to leave the 14th position he currently occupies in the rankings to try to be among the elite, in case of victory. The athlete had just over a month to prepare for the duel against the Dutchman, as he had played in the UFC 244, held at the beginning of November, when, on that occasion, he defeated the former champion, Andrei Arlovski, by knockout with less than 30 seconds of presentation.
Although he respects Overrem, Jairzinho once again makes it clear that his main objective is to qualify to face Francis, who has, with each appearance, stood out and proven to be one of the most dangerous athletes in MMA in recent history.
“We want to be the best in the world. To do this, we must beat the best. We are professionals and I want this fight. Me against Francis Ngannou. It's a big challenge. I want to do this fight for myself and for the fans. I think everyone would like to watch”, concluded the giant.
Jairzinho debuted in the UFC in February this year and, with just three appearances, managed to be included in the group of the 15 main athletes in one of the most dangerous categories in the company. At 31 years old, Rozenstruik appeared on nine occasions, winning eight by knockout and only one by judges' decision.
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