UFC Charlotte went down last Saturday (May 13, 2023) inside Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., leaving plenty of fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Daniel Rodriguez, who was knocked out by Ian Garry in the very first round (see it again here).
And Anthony Smith, who was dominated by Johnny Walker for 15 minutes of Light Heavyweight action. But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Coming into his headlining fight against Jailton Almeida, “Bigi Boy” had some newfound confidence after knocking out Chris Daukaus in just 23 seconds of the very first round in his previous outing. That win gave him a bit of momentum after he had lost his previous two fights.
But the fearsome striker simply couldn’t get anything going against Almeida, who was quick to take him down early in the fight to avoid getting tagged by the pair of cement blocks he calls fists. From there, Almeida smothered him until he was able to find the space he needed to sink in the rear-naked choke, becoming the first man to submit the power-punching big man.
Now most big men aren’t known for their jiu-jitsu given their knockout nature, but it was especially alarming to see just how much Rozenstruik looked like a fish out of water when he was on his back, and his lack of submission defense.
But, according to “Bigi Boy,” he was doing everything right…up until he wasn’t.
“What’s up, guys. As you guys see, the fight didn’t go my way,” Rozenstruik said a day after the loss. “I think one or two mistakes cost me the whole fight. I felt like I was doing everything right, so yeah. Anyway, I’ll be better. I’ll be back better and stronger, and I want to say thank you for supporting me.”
The loss puts Rozenstruik at 1-3 in his last four fights and 3-5 in his last eight. It’s a steep decline from the incredible start to his UFC career which saw him win his first four UFC bouts via knockout.
As far as what’s next for Rozenstruik, perhaps a fight against a fellow big man who prefers to stand-and-bang and avoid a grappling match at all costs is in order. And the man to fit that bill perfectly is Derrick Lewis who, like Rozenstruik, has seen better days inside the Octagon.
Indeed, “Black Beast” has lost three straight fights and four of his last five. They are only separated by two spots on the official UFC rankings, so when you couple that and their current setbacks, the matchup makes all the sense in the world.
One man will breathe some new life into his UFC career, while the other’s will take a deeper hit. But, that’s the fight game.
Thoughts?
For complete UFC Charlotte results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.