After a week off we finally get some heavyweight action this weekend! Get ready to rock because we have a battle of two top ten Heavyweight's who are both eager and ready to bounce back in a big way. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai are set to square off this Saturday at the UFC's second home inside the Apex in Las Vegas. This will be both Rozenstruik's and Sakai's third appearance inside the Apex with both fighters coming off of a loss this will definitely be a test of grit for both men.
With a win either fighter will undoubtedly increase their stock significantly in the Heavyweight division, but with such a even match-up lets see who Vegas is leaning towards! MONEYLINE:
Rozenstruik -130
Sakai +110
TO GO THE DISTANCE:
Yes +200
No -280
Augusto Sakai burst onto the scene inside the UFC back in 2018 where he was able to impress Dana White on the contender series earning himself a win and a contract. Since then he has been on a tear inside the octagon winning his first 5 fights, 3 of them coming via TKO/KO. In his last appearance Augusto earned himself a main event bout against seasoned veteran Alistair Overeem but his stamina really played a key role. After spending the first two rounds looking like the better fighter Sakai gassed out by the third round and allowed Overeem to capitalize. This was Sakai's first loss inside the octagon but it also was the first time his opponent was able to fully capitalize on what seems to be Sakai's biggest disadvantage - his stamina. If Augusto can improve his overall tank and pace himself throughout the fight his limits are endless.
On the other hand Rozenstruik finds himself in a very similar situation to Augusto. Both Sakai and Rozenstruik came into the UFC as very big up and comers for the Heavyweight division with good reason. Rozenstruik started his MMA career a perfect 6-0 before being signed to the UFC in 2019. Since then Dana White wasted no time at all throwing him in against top tier opponents. Jairzinho looked like he could very well be the next UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2019. He fought three times, winning all three by TKO/KO, not to mention that two of those bouts were against two former champions in Alistair Overeem, and Andrei Arlovski. After racking up a perfect 10-0 record and coming off of his most impressive win of his career finishing Overeem late in the championship rounds, Rozenstruik was paired against current UFC Champion Francis Ngannou.
We all have seen Ngannou's chaotic knockout over Rozenstruik, but he was able to bounce back impressively scoring a win over long-time veteran, and also once again former champion, Junior Dos Santos. Santos is clearly not the same fighter as he was 5-10 years ago, but nonetheless it was still a big bounce back win. Considering the high-caliber level opponents Rozenstruik has been paired up against since he debuted in the UFC, a fight with Sakai as the headliner for this event is just another fight for Jairzinho. After a lackluster performance against Ciryl Gane in his last main event, Jairzinho is ready to once again show he's back on track to make his way to the top.
So with both men looking for their second win inside the Apex, how do I see this playing out? MONEYLINE: Rozenstruik -130 Jairzinho has fought elite level competition with relative success since his UFC career has began. Not many fighters can say they have knocked out three former Heavyweight Champions. Rozenstruik, even though he lost, has proven he can remain active for a full 5 round fight. With Sakai's biggest hole clearly being his stamina, look for Rozenstruik to capitalize on this with heavy pressure. I believe Jairzinho has the edge in power/striking as well, so a first round knockout wouldn't be a surprise either. TO GO THE DISTANCE: No -280 The odds state the obvious here. There are two heavyweights who like to strike, so more likely than not this fight will end before the fifth round. With odds this heavy there is no room for a net gain, so if anything look under the fight props section for "under 1.5 rounds" at really good odds of +200. We also have to remember that if Sakai doesn't get an early finish I do not believe he can last a full twenty-five minutes.
TOP BETS FOR THIS CARD:
Claudio Puelles / Jordan Leavitt
Claudio Puelles +165
Ariane Lipski / Montana De La Rosa
Not to Go the Distance: +160
Dusko Todorovic / Gregory Rodrigues
Gregory Rodrigues +120
Marcin Tybura / Walt Harris
Not to Go the Distance: -150
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