Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai set as UFC Fight Night main event

A heavyweight bout between top-10 heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai will headline a UFC Fight Night card in June.

MMA reporter Marcelo Barone of Globo first reported that Sakai’s upcoming fight on May 1 against Shamil Adburakhimov was scrapped due to visa issues for the Russian. Instead of finding Sakai a new opponent for that card, the promotion has instead shifted Sakai to the main event showdown with Rozenstruik on June 5. The two top-10 ranked heavyweights will now meet for five rounds or less in a fight that likely won’t go the full five rounds.

Por questões de visto, Shamil Abdurakhimov está fora do duelo contra Augusto Sakai, previsto para o dia 1º de maio. Brasileiro, agora, enfrentará Jairzinho Rozenstruik, na luta principal do UFC marcado para 5 de junho.

— Marcelo Barone (@marbarone) April 20, 2021

For visa reasons, Shamil Abdurakhimov is out of the duel against Augusto Sakai, scheduled for May 1st. Brazilian, now, will face Jairzinho Rozenstruik, in the main fight of the UFC scheduled for June 5.

Rozenstruik (11-2) is coming off of a five-round, unanimous decision loss to Ciryl Gane earlier this year in what was a truly terrible fight for the fans. The 33-year-old Rozensturik was just unable to pull the trigger for whatever reason and he was content to just lose the decision. However, Rozenstruik is still one of the top-ranked heavyweights in the game. He is 5-2 overall in the UFC with notable wins over Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and Andrei Arlovski. The Suriname native is a big man with big power if he can let his hands go.

Sakai (15-2-1) is coming off of a fifth-round TKO loss to the aforementioned Overeem in his last fight which snapped a six-fight winning streak for the Brazilian. The 29-year-old Sakai has some big wins on his UFC resume include the aforementioned Arlovski, plus fighters such as Marcin Tybura and Blagoy Ivanov. While the loss to Overeem showed that he’s not at the elite level yet, he is getting another opportunity to fight an elite opponent when he takes on Rozenstruik.

Who do you think wins, Jairzinho Rozenstruik or Augusto Sakai?