It took [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] nearly 25 minutes, but he got the job done in his first UFC headline fight.
At the 4:56 mark of the fifth and final round of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 7 main event, Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) punched his way to a TKO victory over veteran [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag], capping an incredible UFC debut year in which Rozenstruik went 4-0 with four finishes.
After minimal striking on the feet in the opening minutes of the first round, Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) dragged Rozenstruik to the ground. For the majority of the first, Overeem remained in side control.
Throughout the second and third rounds, Overeem’s game plan was apparent – stay on the outside and clinch when possible. On multiple occasions, Overeem landed a hard overhand left. But somehow, Rozenstruik ate Overeem’s hardest shots.
In the third, Overeem secured another takedown. With the clock winding down, Overeem was able to posture up and land his hardest ground-and-pound to that point in the fight.
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Rozenstruik’s best offense came in the fourth round. In two separate flurries, Rozenstruik landed a barrage of punches. The second flurry saw Rozenstruik attempt a flying kick and jumping knee. Overeem hung tough and returned to plodding point-fighting.
With the clock winding down in the final round, Rozenstruik ended the fight seemingly out of nowhere. With one big overhand right, Rozenstruik floored Overeem, tearing his lip in the process.
After the fight, Rozenstruik called out former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou, “If you hear this right now I hope you accept this fight,” Rozenstruik said. “Let’s give these people a real show.”
Rozenstruik has ended all 10 career fights inside the distance. For Overeem, the loss snaps a two-fight win streak. The Dutch heavyweight has a .500 record over the span of his most recent four fights.
The heavyweight fight was the UFC on ESPN 7 main event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Alistair Overeem via TKO (punch) – Round 5, 4:56
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Marina Rodriguez declared majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Ben Rothwell def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:57
- Aspen Ladd def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:33
- Cody Stamann vs. Song Yadong declared majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- Rob Font def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Tim Means def. Thiago Alves via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:38
- Billy Quarantillo def. Jacob Kilburn via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:18
- Bryce Mitchell def. Matt Sayles via submission (twister) – Round 1, 4:20
- Joe Solecki def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Virna Jandiroba def. Mallory Martin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:16
- Makhmud Muradov def. Trevor Smith via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 4:09
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