Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik squared off in a Heavyweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 1, 2025) at UFC Saudi Arabia inside anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Rozenstruik opened the fight was chopping low kicks. Both men feinted the jab, and the atmosphere between the big hitters was tense. Pavlovich scored upstairs first with a glancing right hook. “Bigi Boy” whiffed on a counter combination then ducked a 1-2 from Pavlovich. The crowd started get a little restless just before another good right hand landed for the Russian athlete. A moment later, he clipped Rozenstruik with another overhand, tripping him up to the canvas. He settled into half guard, landing short shots before the bell.
The former training partners continued to fight at a slower pace into the second. Seven minutes into the fight, Rozenstruik doesn’t seem to have landed even a single significant strike to the head. Pavlovich popped him with a jab. When Rozenstruik actually committed to a right hand, Pavlovich floored him with a straighter counter cross — hesitation justified! The replay showed it was another off-balance moment, however. Once more, Pavlovich was content to sit in half guard and land small elbows.
Neither round was fun, but Pavlovich had all the momentum with five minutes remaining. Finally, Rozenstruik found a nice left hook a minute into the final frame, his first truly solid connection. Pavlovich snapped him back with a jab that stunned the kickboxer allowing for an easy takedown. Sadly, Rozenstruik has no real game from his back, and Pavlovich was more than content to ride out the decision win. Rozenstruik finally got back up with 30 seconds left … only to eat a couple more left hands while trying to make something happen.
Pavlovich needed a win here after consecutive losses. It’s a bit disappointing that he didn’t push his advantages more, but a conservative performance is understandable. As for Rozenstruik, we’ve seen him hesitant to engage in the past, and that was the story here as well. Again, it makes sense to be wary of Pavlovich’s massive power, but Rozenstruik really didn’t give himself a chance to win here.
Sometimes, pitting two knockout artists opposite one another results in a snoozefest. Hopefully, the next match up is a return to form for both men.
Result: Pavlovich defeats Rozenstruik via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Saudi Arabia results and play-by-play, click here.