New York is feeling a little Hollywood for Jairzinho Rozenstruik, whose UFC 244 experience so far has been “like living in a movie.”
New York, NY — Jairzinho Rozenstruik isn’t a household name, but he could be following UFC 244. The undefeated heavyweight, 8-0 in his career to date, is set to take on Andrei Arlovski, former UFC heavyweight champion.
For Rozenstruik, a kickboxer out of Suriname who previously competed for RIZIN, Arlovski represents the biggest name he’s faced to date.
“For us it’s huge. We’re happy to fight a legendary guy,” he told Cageside Press at the UFC 244 media day. Especially given the impact Arlovski could have on his career. “Soon as we heard it, we started camp, and we were going.”
Camp, he added, has “gone smoothly. We do our thing, as usual. No obstacles. It was good.”
Rozenstruik isn’t making any predictions for his fight against Andrei Arlovski. While both his UFC wins to date (against Junior Albini and Allen Crowder) have come via finishes, “we prepared for three rounds of five minutes. We don’t know what’s going to happen the 2nd of November.” ‘Bigi Boy,’ however, added that “we’re ready for what’s coming. We know what we’re up against. And we will see this Saturday.”
While he knows what he’s up against at UFC 244, Jairzinho Rozenstruik was not prepared for the media whirlwind ahead of the event. Every news outlet imaginable is in town for the New York card, it seems. Then there’s the magic of the historic Madison Square Garden.
“For us it’s crazy. Like living in a movie,” Rozenstruik said. “I’ve never seen this before. It’s big, it’s big for us. For sure we’re enjoying the moment. The main thing is, we’re here to do the job. For sure we’re going to get it done.”
Growing up in Suriname, even when he first started kickboxing, Rozenstruik never imagined he’d be in this situation. “And now I’m here.”
“It’s big, what can I say. It’s awesome,” he continued. “The only thing I can do is enjoy the moment, make sure I’m ready for the job, and I’m going to make sure everybody remembers my name.”
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Andrei Arlovski takes place Saturday, November 2 at UFC 244, going down live at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
