Jairzinho Rozenstruik is particularly confident about his chances against Francis Ngannou.
After previously being scheduled to compete in the UFC Columbus headliner last month, the hard-hitting heavyweights are now set to meet at UFC 249 on April 18 — currently set to take place on tribal land in California.
For Rozenstruik, it’s undoubtedly his toughest task yet. However, he is excited by the challenge:
“For me it’s a big challenge and we love the challenge, me and my team,” Rozenstruik told MMA Fighting. “The second point, also for him, he doesn’t have a fight. So he has to be happy he has a fight right now. I think it’s exciting.
“I’m going to stand in front of him and I’m going to be like ‘this is the fight we wanted, let’s dance.’ I’m happy I got to fight him.”
Rozenstruik is undefeated in mixed martial arts and and has knocked out all four of his UFC opponents so far — the most recent being Alistair Overeem. Ngannou, on the other hand, is considered the hardest-hitting heavyweight in the sport.
So what will happen when these two behemoths collide? Provided Ngannou is willing to stand and trade, “Bigi Boy” expects to get the finish within the first two rounds:
“I think first round or second round,” Rozenstruik said. “100 percent. First round or second round, he goes down. If he comes to fight, it’s going to be first round or second round. Mark my words.”
Rozenstruik’s confidence comes from the belief that he hasn’t even shown fans his best version yet.
“You guys haven’t seen anything yet,” Rozenstruik added. “The fight with Overeem was OK but you haven’t seen nothing yet. I’ve got more in my pocket to show you guys. If this is going to be the fight to show you a lot, I’m looking forward to doing it.”
What do you think of Rozenstruik’s prediction?