John McCarthy weighs in on Saturday’s Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev main event: “This is what’s wrong with the heavyweight division”

By Susan Cox - March 4, 2024

John McCarthy is weighing in on Saturday’s Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev main event bout at UFC Vegas 87.

Big John McCarthy, Ariel Helwani, , Robbie Lawler, Ben Askren, Greg Hardy, Alistair Overeem

It was just this past weekend that saw Jairzinho Rozenstruik (14-5 MMA) vs. Shamil Gaziev (12-1 MMA) in a heavyweight main event bout.

The result was a TKO victory for ‘Bigi Boy’ in the fourth round.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Shamil Gaziev, UFC Vegas 87, Pros react, UFC

It was during a recent episode of his ‘Weighing In’ podcast alongside Josh Thomson, that John McCarthy assessed the main event fight this past Saturday night:

“This is what’s wrong with the heavyweight division. This right here, this fight. Look, I really like Jairzinho Rozenstruik… He’s tentative, though. He’s tentative because he’s been taken down, and that’s how he’s lost most of his fights… He just doesn’t have a confidence in it. And not until he realized, ‘Okay, my opponent is tired and he can’t take me down now,’ then he started opening up. That’s the guy you want to see.”

Continuing, John McCarthy went on to explain what’s wrong with the UFC heavyweight division (h/t MMANews):

“I looked and it’s like, this is what’s wrong with the heavyweight division. There’s just not enough talent across the board; talent that can do everything. You get so used to watching the 170s, 155s, the 145s, the 135s, the 125s, where you have to be good across the board… You can see it in this fight right there. The heavyweights, for the most part, are very one-dimensional.”

With the 35-year-olds victory, Gaziev suffered his very first loss in the Octagon. The 34-year-old Gaziev was undefeated prior to meeting up with Rozenstruik.

Were you watching this past Saturday? Who would you like to see Rozenstruik fight next?

Do you agree with McCarthy that there’s just not enough talent in the UFC heavyweight division?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Jairzinho Rozenstruik John McCarthy UFC UFC Vegas 87