LAS VEGAS – Manager Abraham Kawa thinks it’s pretty clear that if his client, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, gets past Francis Ngannou, he’s next in line for a UFC heavyweight title shot.
Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) headlines UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus against Ngannou. It’s a matchup that pits arguably the two hardest hitters in the division.
And with Ngannou sitting at the top of the UFC heavyweight rankings, anxious to get another crack at the title, a win for Rozenstruik could cement him as the No. 1 contender.
“If he beats Francis Ngannou, I think it’s a no-brainer he needs to be next for the title,” Kawa told MMA Junkie. “We know we’re still waiting for the whole Stipe-DC thing to get figured out if that fight ever happens, eventually it does. If Jair beats Francis, who skips him? Just give me a name.”
UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic is projected to return around summer time and complete his trilogy with former dual champion Daniel Cormier.
That leaves an opening for a new contender to emerge, and the only person Kawa can think of that could leap-frog Rozenstruik is superstar and former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.
In a recent interview with TSN, UFC president Dana White said he likes the odds of a Lesnar return in 2020, but Kawa thinks there’s no need for Lesnar to jump the line and cause turbulence for the heavyweight contenders.
The way Kawa sees it, Lesnar can just fight UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, since everyone has been eager to see “Bones” compete at heavyweight. That’s a fight that Kawa, who manages Jones, is confident would be bigger than any heavyweight title fight.
“I would pitch Jon Jones with Brock Lesnar,” Kawa said. “Why does Jair need to get skipped? What’s the bigger fight: Brock vs. Stipe or Brock vs. Jon? Brock vs. DC or Brock vs. Jon? I would present that as a fight rather than Brock vs. the current champion.
“Give him the big, scary monster that is in Brock Lesnar, and we could go from there and let Jair actually go fight for the title against Stipe or DC or whoever it may be that’s there.”
To hear more from Kawa on Rozenstruik, watch the video above. You can also check out the full interview below.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik title shot 'no-brainer' with win over Francis Ngannou, manager says