UFC is on the road once again following the successful venture with UFC 288. This time, the event takes place in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. With fans in attendance, the company needed to put its best foot forward and they have certainly done so with a stacked main card that features Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Jailton Almeida in the main event.
As the UFC main event fights usually go, this bout is also scheduled for 5 rounds. Rozenstruik, who is currently ranked 9th in the heavyweight division, takes on the 12th-ranked Jailton Almeida this Saturday. Nicknamed “Bigi Boy,” Rozenstruik was on a hot streak with 4 back to back wins in his first four UFC fights. However, since then, in his following 7 bouts, Jairzinho has lost 4 times.
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However, his losses were against elite competitors such as the former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, and Curtis Blaydes. In his last outing inside the Octagon, Jairzinho beat Chris Daukaus at UFC 282. His opponent this weekend, Jailton Almeida, on the other hand, is yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon and has beaten Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj, and Shamil Abdurakhimov in his last three bouts. Can he continue his unbeaten run? Let’s find out.
UFC Fight Night: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Jailton Almeida, Stats
| Stats | Jairzinho Rozenstruik | Jailton Almeida |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 13 | 18 |
| Losses | 4 | 2 |
| Height | 1.88 m | 1.91 m |
| Division | Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 198.1 cm | 200.7 cm |
| Age | 35 | 31 |
Rozenstruik vs Almeida: Fight Breakdown
As previously mentioned, Jairzinho Rozenstruik is more experienced in fighting better-quality of opponents. The Suriname native holds an MMA record of 13-4, with 12 KOs. Jailton Almeida, on the other hand, has 11 submissions and 7 KOs with an MMA record of 18-2. The Brazilian fighter holds a whopping 100% finishing rate.
According to UFC stats, Jairzinho Rozenstruik has an average of landing 2.93 strikes per minute. But in return, he absorbs 3.23 strikes per minute as well. Despite having the KO power, it does not seem like Rozenstruik is the most defensively sound fighter. On top of that, he does not attempt any takedowns during his bouts and holds a takedown defense of 75%.
He has been taken down 9 times inside the Octagon so far. While nobody is yet to register a submission win over Jairzinho, it may change against Jailton Almeida. The 31-year-old not only has 11 submissions, but he also secures 6.73 takedowns per 15 minutes as well. With an average of 2.2 submission attempts per fight, Almeida seems like a nightmare matchup for a limited grappler like Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
He also had an amazingly low absorption rate of 0.34 strikes per minute, while dishing out 4.19 strikes. However, both Rozenstruik and Almeida have KO losses in their resume as well. Hence, the result of the bout may also get decided by who is able to land the biggest punch. So it is an extremely intriguing fight, befitting of the main event spot. But, due to his impressive skillset and amazing form, Jailton Almeida will be the favorite.
