One ranked UFC contender thinks they know the reasoning behind the decision to cut heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik from his contract.
Rozenstruik arrived in Saudi Arabia last week off the back of consecutive victories inside the Octagon and with an opportunity to climb into title contention with a victory over a top five contender in Sergei Pavlovich.
Instead, “Bigi Boy” exited the anb Arena with a loss added to his record and his UFC tenure over.
After a decision defeat in a lackluster three-round contest with the Russian former interim title challenger, Rozenstruik was quickly released by the UFC. That decision came shortly after Dana White had described the fight as “horrible” during his post-fight press conference.
While the Surinamese heavyweight has long faced criticism for a safe and gun-shy style, the decision to cut him still turned plenty of surprised heads in the community.
Recent lightweight title challenger Renato Moicano appeared on X to give his two cents, suggesting that the promotion may be using Rozenstruik as an opportunity to send a message to the entire heavyweight roster.
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“That’s crazy they cut Jairzinho! 2 losses on the last 5 fights! I think UFC is trying to send a message to heavyweights!”
That would no doubt be music to the ears of interim champ Tom Aspinall, who bemoaned the current state of heavyweight fights in a social media post this past weekend.
He’ll look to bring his usual entertaining style back to the cage in 2025, be it in a long-awaited unification showdown with Jon Jones or a title defense against a top contender.
