Jairzinho Rozenstruik very much likes his next UFC outing.
The UFC heavyweight contender takes on Ciryl Gane on March 13 at a UFC Fight Night event, for which a location has yet to be determined. Rozenstruik (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off a technical knockout win over former champion Junior Dos Santos and currently sits at No. 3 in the UFC’s official heavyweight rankings.
The Surinamese competitor likes the matchup with Gane and has been quite impressed with what his opponent has been doing so far in the UFC.
“I think he’s good fighter, he’s phenomenal,” Rozenstruik recently told MMA Junkie. “He’s doing his thing, he’s winning his fights, so my respect he’s got. I’m going to face him. This is a whole different fight. For me, every fight I fight it’s a big fight, it’s a championship fight. I go with that mindset and of course I want to get my hand raised.
“He’s a heavyweight that likes to move. I think’s that’s a positive thing for him. As heavyweights, we tend to stand and not move too much and he has this ability to move around. I don’t know what fight he’s going to bring, but you know how it is. We get opponent, we train and try to win our fights.”
Although Rozenstruik is in the top five of the UFC’s heavyweight division and he’s got big matchup ahead, “Bigi Boy” is uncertain what a win could do for his standing in the division.
Champion Stipe Miocic will defend his title in a rematch against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in late March. There’s also a key heavyweight bout going down on Feb. 20 between Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, who are in the top five rankings with Rozenstruik.
Rozenstruik believes a lot will depend on what happens in the Lewis-Blaydes matchup.
“The way I see it, is that it will depend on the fight between Lewis and Blaydes,” Rozenstruik explained. “And after I win this fight, I don’t know, I think for sure I’ll keep my spot, and depending on what happens between Lewis and Blaydes, I’ll see if I move up or stay in the same place. But for me, right now, the important thing is that I have a fight and I’m focusing on that.”
Jairzinho Rozenstruik impressed by Ciryl Gane’s UFC rise: ‘He’s phenomenal’