Rising heavyweight prospect Shamil Gaziev was in for a rude awakening as he stepped up for his first big assignment at UFC Vegas 87. The Dagestani fighter, representing Bahrain in the UFC, took on Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event last night.
In a clearly one-sided fight, Rozenstruik got the job done, picking up a devastating TKO win at the end of the fourth round after Gaziev refused to continue the fight.
Fighting in just his third UFC fight, Gaziev quickly found attention among fans owing to his devastating knockout power and a specialty for rear-naked chokes, which saw him go the distance only once in his 12-fight MMA career heading into UFC Vegas 87.
Shamil Gaziev releases statement following UFC Vegas 87 loss
Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s jabs were there all day and did enough to leave Gaziev with his mouth wide open, gasping for air in the second round. It was a matter of time after that as Rozenstruik patiently tore Gaziev apart with his strikes.
The Suriname fighter did not try to engage in a slugfest or rush for a finish but waited for his moments. As such, he could take advantage of Shamil Gaziev’s poor conditioning for the fight, who was looking slower and slower as each round progressed.
Also Read: UFC Vegas 87 Fight Purses: How Much Will Dagestan’s Shamil Gaziev Earn for His First UFC Main Event?
On X, Shamil shared he damaged his eyes and nose in the second round and couldn’t follow the game plan. He was outstruck 22-127 in total strikes thrown during the fight.
First of all congratulations @JairRozenstruik,good job today.
Got eye and nose damage in 2nd round and couldn’t follow fight plan.
If anyone thinks it will break me, I will disappoint you,I’m going to return gym in the coming days and I promise my fans to get better.— Shamil Gaziev (@GazievMMA) March 3, 2024
Meanwhile, Jairzinho Rozenstruik jumped back into the winning column after the embarrassing loss against Jailton Almeida. The UFC Heavyweight is now 14-5 in his MMA career and 8-5 in the UFC.
With many exciting potential match-ups in the heavyweight division, UFC will not have any problem booking the next fight for Shamil Gaziev. However, for now, it’s safe to say that he will be away from the UFC Octagon for a while owing to his injuries last night.
