UFC Vegas 87: UFC Apex; Las Vegas, Nevada
Well much like the little engine that could proved so does Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Hard work pays off. Thought of as a heavyweight with some skill, and lots of power, but just not enough for the ultimate glory by some. The jury is still out on whether that’s the case or not. He at a bare minimum will hold his spot in the rankings at 12. Can the soon to turn 36-year old catch enough fire for a title shot; we will see.
Since his loss to Francis Ngannou he has struggled mightily, flip flopping wins and losses. With the losses coming against higher talent, hence the “gatekeeper” moniker. Rozenstruik worked heavily with Muhammed Lawal. And the improvements made were well on display against Shamil Gaziev. With the exception of one-time Rozenstruik didn’t allow himself to be brought down to the canvas. And down there, while he improved, had his opponent played his cards correctly he would have been in deeper trouble.
But with the takedown defense tiring out the Bahrainian, it slowed him down enough that Rozenstruik’s hands became a factor. His jab after jab after jab attack busted open Gaziev’s face. Safe to say this was just too big of a jump for Gaziev. And between rounds four and five there was an issue in his corner. Ever the solid referee; MARK GODDARD brought in the doctor and demanded to know what the fighter had said to his corner. Hearing there was a vision issue, he immediatelt called off the fight.
Hard Work Pays Off, What’s Next
While Rozenstruik didn’t call anyone out in particular, there might be just one challenger that makes sense. Derrick Lewis has been struggling just as much, if not more. Both fighters were linked together in the past, and both are a distance away from a shot at the strap right now. Besides, it has the opportunity to be a one-hitter quitter type fight. And who doesn’t love those?
Rozenstruik won’t have to worry about a takedown threat, and the two sluggers could just swing away. But for right now he insisted that he wants to go back home and continue to recalibrate things. As far as in the cage is concerned, fighting off his back needs more improvement. While he has added a low leg kicking game to his arsenal, mixing in headkicks would in the long run help his striking as well. For a period he was only throwing one shot. Mixing in combos to the body with uppercuts could make him as deadly as he was when he first joined the organization.
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