Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai will reportedly headline a June 5th UFC Fight Night.
As first reported by GloboEsporte’s Marcelo Barone, the sixth-ranked Rozenstruik will face the ninth-ranked Sakai in a very important fight in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Both fighters likely need a win to hold each of their spots in the top ten among UFC heavyweights.
Rozenstruik is just two months removed from a self-described “worst performance ever” against Ciryl Gane in February, a fight in which he lost by unanimous decision. Before falling to Gane, Rozenstruik had re-emerged as one of the best heavyweights after knocking out former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 252.
Sakai makes his return to the octagon after a seven-month hiatus following his TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC Vegas 9. Prior to the knockout loss to Overeem, Sakai had been on fire in the UFC’s heavyweight division, having won six-straight leading up to the bout.
Sakai and Rozenstruik also rarely leave it in the judges’ hands, and quite often end their fights on their own terms. Over his kickboxing and MMA career, Rozenstruik has accumulated an eye-popping 74 knockouts, including five knockouts during his time in the UFC.
Sakai has earned 11 knockouts over his MMA career including a most-recent knockout over Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Vegas 1.
The added headliner is a part of an exciting June 5th UFC Fight Night card. In a pair of other heavyweight matchups, Walt Harris is slated to face Marcin Tybura, while Ilir Latifi makes his return to the octagon against the always-tough Tanner Boser.
The UFC has yet to make a formal announcement of the main event booking, but it appears imminent. Regardless, fight fans have plenty to look forward to this summer and the recent addition of Rozenstruik and Sakai is just the icing on the cake.
What are your early predictions for Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai on June 5th?