Jair Rozenstruik hopes win over Andrei Arlovski at UFC 244 gets him top 10 opponent

NEW YORK – Jair Rozenstruik thinks he is on the verge of something big.

With a win over opponent Andrei Arlovski (28-18 MMA, 17-12 UFC) at UFC 244 on Saturday, Rozenstruik (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) thinks a ranked opponent should be in order for his follow-up bout.

“I hope so,” Rozenstruik told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight media day Thursday. “I want to see it.”

The matchup with Arlovski marks the first time Rozenstruik has faced a truly tried and tested UFC veteran. With 30 UFC bouts on his resume, Arlovski is one of the most seasoned fighters on the entire roster. When asked, Suriname’s Rozenstruik shrugged off the experience differential.

“For me, I have a lot of fighting experience,” Rozenstruik. “I’m not focusing on his record or what he’s done. I’m ready to go, so let’s do it.”

The booking against the Belarusian comes on the heels of Rozenstruik’s quickest finish to date. In his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in June, Rozenstruik knocked out Allen Crowder in a mere eight seconds. The finish was the second quickest by strikes in UFC heavyweight history.

“A lot of people are talking about me (now),” Rozenstruik said. “A lot of people are talking to me, sending me messages and stuff. A lot of people are surprised: ‘Hey where are you coming from? What’s happening?’

“So for me, I let everything just come and I handle (it) the way I handle. I don’t focus too much on that. I just train and fight. I’m happy I’m going to fight again, so I’m ready.”

Check out Rozenstruik’s full UFC 244 pre-fight interview in the video above.