SUMMARY
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a famous MMA fighter in the UFC heavyweight division.
- Nicknamed "Bigi Boy," Rozenstruik has massive power and he is known for landing devastating knockouts.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a UFC heavyweight fighter. He made his MMA debut on May 26, 2012, against Evgeni Boldyrev. After winning the fight via a first-round KO, Rozenstruik never looked back in his career and won 10 fights in a row. During that period, “Bigi Boy” made his UFC debut as well and beat some legendary fighters.
On his UFC debut, Rozenstruik defeated Júnior Albini. He won the fight at the 0:54 mark of the second round via a head-kick TKO. On his second outing in the Octagon, he knocked out his opponent within the first nine seconds of the bout via KO. It also earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus as well. Afterward, he knocked out both Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski as well.
After an unbeaten 10-0 start to his MMA career, Rozenstruik suffered his first career loss against the former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. After the brutal KO loss, Jairzinho was never the same, as he went on to lose four fights out of his next seven. Despite that, he is quite a popular fighter, and let’s take a look at his background and where he’s from.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik hails from Suriname
Jairzinho Rozenstruik was born on March 17, 1988. He was born in the Paramaribo region of Suriname. For fans who are unaware, Suriname is a South American country with a rich culture. Rozenstruik’s native country is also the smallest South American country. Despite its location, the official language of the country is Dutch.
In an interview with ESPN, Jairzinho opened up about his country, “Dutch is our first language, when you talk to older people, you speak Dutch. It’s more respectful. The local language, you talk with your friends. You don’t talk to your parents like that with the local slang.”
Although not much is known about his personal life, it is very evident that he is a huge celebrity in his country. After his last-minute KO of Alistair Overeem, the Surinamese fighter received a massive welcome in his country. He documented the amount of love he receives from his people, and it is truly a heartwarming sight to behold.
Inspiration behind Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s name revealed
During his ESPN interview, Jairzinho Rozenstruik also revealed a fascinating story behind his name. Jairzinho is reportedly not a Surinamese name, and the inspiration behind it comes from a Brazilian soccer legend. Jair Filho is a former Brazilian soccer player who played from 1963 to 1982. During his playing career, Filho won the 1970 FIFA soccer World Cup.
Although his full name is Jair Filho, he was better known as Jairzinho. Reportedly, Rozenstruik’s family was a big fan of the Brazilian and decided to name their son after him. Although the 6’2 fighter has not followed in Filho’s footsteps to become a soccer star, he has also become a sportsperson and may someday be in prime position to become the next UFC heavyweight champion.
