Jairzinho Rozenstruik likes Junior Dos Santos as a person, but he doesn’t agree with all his ideas.
The Surinamese fighter is set meet the former UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 252 on Aug. 15 in Las Vegas. Both Rozenstruik (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Dos Santos train at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla.
In a recent interview with Combate, Dos Santos respectfully suggested the two should spar together once a week in the buildup to their heavyweight clash. Although Rozenstruik thinks it’s a nice gesture from the former champ, he’s not really interested in exploring the possibility.
“No, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Rozenstruik told MMA Junkie. “It’s nice of him, you know what I mean. As I said before, he’s a nice guy and he’s got my respect. Most of the other fighters, even Francis Ngannou, Alistair Overeem, they start trash talk and underestimate me and stuff. But yeah, this fight is different.”
Rozenstruik said he’s seen Dos Santos at the gym, but they’ve never hung out or trained together. He plans on continuing his preparation at ATT but will run his camp with different coaches.
Rozenstruik is coming off a loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. Before the loss, “Bigi Boy” had a quick rise to title contention after a 4-0 start in the UFC, in which he picked up wins over big names such as Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.
Dos Santos will be another legend to his list of opponents. Although Rozenstruik is settling as one of the division’s elite, the 32-year-old competitor is still in awe to find himself in the company of fighters with the history and popularity of Dos Santos.
“I still have the same feeling,” Rozenstruik explained. “It’s not like a dream come true, it’s more like my life is a dream. I’m used to playing (video) games with all those guys and now I’m facing these guys in real life, so it feels good. And yeah, it feels like a dream.”
A win over Dos Santos never goes unnoticed in the UFC. Rozenstruik believes he could jump right back into title contention if he were to defeat the former titleholder.
“One hundred percent, we’re right there,” Rozenstruik said. “Right now we’re on the same card as the champion who’s fights Daniel Cormier. We’re going to see who’s next, and by that time, I’m going to still be around, stay active, and wait for my chance. Right now my dream is still alive its kind of on hold, but nothing can stop me going to my dream.”
Jairzinho Rozenstruik turns down Junior Dos Santos' request to spar ahead of UFC 252