The UFC has truly taken 2021 as the year to make up for lost time in 2020 and come back with full gears. UFC betting fans have barely had a chance to take a breather with all the action that the leading MMA competition company has been putting on weekend in and weekend out. Coming up on June 5th, after a rare but necessary weekend rest from events the UFC is coming back strong and it’s bringing MMA fanatics a heavyweight fight that has all the fixings to be a ground and pound treat for everyone.
As Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai prepare to throw down in the UFC octagon on June 5th let’s break down how each fighter is coming into the fight and who the fight might end up going to. One thing is for sure, both fighters are hungry for a win to cement their place in the heavyweight rankings and to get more visibility towards future title opportunities, so let’s get to it.
Rozenstruick Doesn’t Just Want A Win, He Wants To Destroy
Nobody in the UFC can deny that Jairzinho Rozenstruick can tear through opponents like a wrecking ball tearing through buildings and structures. The Curacao native has made his mark and presence felt in the octagon as a no thrills power hitter and a certified knockout artist. With a record of eleven wins and two losses including surprising wins over heavyweight powerhouses like Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos, Rozenstruick knows very well what it’s like to go against the big names of the division and put on a show. It’s no surprise that his first loss came after taking on UFC heavyweight champion and MMA sensation Francis Ngannou.
Jairzinho comes into the bout against Sakai after enduring a loss against Cyril Gane that left him in true dire need for a win in order to climb back up in the heavyweight ranks if a title fight is something in his future plans. Now, in order to make a true splash that will have UFC experts giving him the praise he’s after the key is simple. A win, but not just a simple run of the mill win, a convincing, strong win against Sakai will most probably do the trick here. Rozenstruick already knows what it’s like to knock out former champions, against Sakai the goal is knock out or bust. If Jairzinho can polish his boxing skills more to add up to the sheer power of his punches, then the road to a win will be much smoother.
Will Sakai Ride The Underdog Wave To A Win?
Waiting on Rozenstruick on the other side of the octagon will be Brazilian slugger Augusto Sakai. While the original plan for Sakai was to face Shamil Abdurakhimov, injury problems on the Russian fighter’s which made the original bout be delayed for a month had UFC officials running to find a suitable substitute to face Sakai. While facing a fighter like Rozenstruick can come as a bigger challenge for any fighter the Brazilian Sakai actually sees this as the most positive result moving forward.
With the idea that a win against the Curacao fighter can help him truly climb up in the rankings and make up for lost time and ranking slips Sakai is pumped for a positive return to the octagon. With his last fight coming back in 2020 in a losing effort against Alistair Overeem Sakai knows that with how the division is moving any win is welcome and if it involves a highly ranked fighter like Rozenstruick then even more so.
While Sakai’s camp prepared for a fight against the Russian Abdurakhimov, the changes to the card actually ended up benefiting the Brazilian fighter as he was given an extra month of preparation for his UFC Fight Night headlining bout. Sakai sees all this as an unspoken advantage towards being able to score a win against Jairzinho and being able to make his way into the Top 5 of the heavyweight rankings.
So Who’s Taking It?
Both fighters know that a win here can easily end up making or breaking their immediate future in the heavyweight division. With Jon Jones prepping up to move into the division and guys like Derrick Lewis and former champion Stipe Miocic waiting for another chance against the champion Ngannou it’s time to put up or shut up. While a win can help either of the fighters make their presence felt, a loss basically means a one-way ticket to the back of the line.
With this scenario, this fight is Rozenstruick’s to win. His fighting style added to the fact that he has already rumbled with some of the best in the division and has been able to come out on top with dominant fashion automatically puts him over as a favorite here and with ample reason.
