There was a time that I was quite excited when the big boi from Suriname was on a fight card, but this last very one-sided loss to Jailton Almeida has kind of killed all the enthusiasm I had for the guy. He did win his last fight in fantastic fashion against Chris Daukaus in under a minute but to be fair to him he hasn't been focused on by the UFC for a while. This lackluster performance probably isn't going to increase the odds of that changing anytime soon. Basically, if anyone doesn't just stand up with him, he loses.
I believe he was over-ranked at 9th in the division coming into this fight, but then again, the heavyweight division isn't really that impressive these days anyway.
In the past, Rozenstruik has been known for this KO power and because he is one of the heavier of the heavyweights, his opponents should be very shy of being in the way of his fists. This size differential is also a very negative factor in his fights, because the guy is nearly useless on the ground unless he is on top.
Let's just say he was not on top in the latest UFC event in Charlotte.
Rozenstruik failed to land even a single significant strike in the less than 4 minutes that the fight lasted and Jailton Almeida looked like he is what the UFC is going to be pushing for to be the next up and comer.
I would go as far as to say that the reason why Almeida was put into this fight despite the near 40 lb difference between the two is specifically because the UFC was aware the fight would go exactly as it did. Rozenstruik is a one-trick pony, just like a lot of the big boys in the past and if he doesn't score a big standing punch or unless he is against an opponent with a similarly one-sided offense, he gets the beat down.
Once on the ground the ending of this fight was basically guaranteed. It wasn't a question of whether or not Almeida was going to get the "W", it was just a question of how long it was going to take him. 3 minutes and 47 seconds turned out to be how long it would take.
The heavyweight division isn't a very exciting place and at the moment I think the only people to watch are of course Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, and that's about it. I think the reason why Almeida is getting this push is because the UFC wants someone who can possibly put up an interesting fight against Jon Jones both standing and on the ground. Be looking for rather "rigged" matchups for Almeida in the future. I am predicting that he will face Tai Tuivasa next and when he wins that, he will get streamlined for a title matchup with Jones in 2024.
For now, I think Jones will get Stipe next and that actually could be a great fight since Stipe actually is a well-rounded fighter.
I believe that Rozenstruik might be parting ways with UFC soon because the opportunities for the big man to win just aren't there anymore. He's also reaching that age where unless you are absolutely killing it, UFC starts to abuse what little fame you have to give younger fighters a "push" even though it destroys your legacy in the process.
What does he do? Does he take the money and let the legacy slide? Does he drop weight and try to become better on the ground? or does he just keep doing what he has been doing and swing for the fences from a standing position and bask in the glory on the off chance that this strategy works?