Fresh from a pair of high-profile knockout victories over former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Junior ‘Cigano’ dos Santos, top-ten heavyweight contenders, Jairzinho ‘Bigi Boy’ Rozenstruik and Ciryl ‘Bon Gamin’ Gane have agreed to tangle next. Gane had previously suggested a pairing with Rozenstruik for his next Octagon outing.
Targeted to feature beneath a welterweight main event of surging contenders, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards and Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimav, heavyweight finishers, Rozenstruik and Gane would meet at the UFC’s Fight Night event on March 13 — with a location or venue still yet to be nailed down for the showcase.
Per a report from French outlet, La Sueur, both Rozenstruik and Gane have verbally agreed to meet at the March 13 event, as the pair look to inch closer toward the top of the heavyweight division with a win.
Fresh off a rebound win over dos Santos at UFC 252 in August, Suriname striker, Rozenstruik managed to stop the Brazilian veteran in the second-round via strikes.
Bettering Rozenstruik’s effort against dos Santos in quicker fashion, Factory X mainstay, Gane nabbed his most high-profile victory to date in his seven-fight undefeated career. Stunning the American Top Team mainstay at the fence, the French uber-prospect then laned a right elbow just behind the ear, and despite complaints from dos Santos that the strike was illegal, Gane picked up a second frame knockout.
Sitting at 11-1 as a professional since his bow back in 2012, Rozenstruik has managed five wins and a sole loss during his Octagon stint so far. Recovering from a knockout loss to one-time title chaser and number-one contender, Francis Ngannou back in May at UFC 249, Rozenstruik saw a winning run which included stoppages of Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Allen Crowder, and Junior Albini snapped.
One of the most exciting talents to emerge within the promotion’s heavyweight ranks in recent years, 30-year-old La Roche-sur-Yon native, Gane is undefeated from his first four promotional walks. Ahead of the biggest test of his still-young career against Rozenstruik, Gane has bested Raphael Pessoa, Don’Tale Mayes, and Canadian contender, Tanner Boser prior to his win over dos Santos.