At UFC 249, main card heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Francis Ngannou are throwing down in what has of late been billed as a title eliminator.
Of course, we’ve been here before. Any number of fights throughout UFC history have been talked up as number one contenders bouts, right up until they weren’t. But the heavyweight division is a unique creature. It always has been; a weight class where fortunes can change in a single punch.
It’s hard to imagine the winner of Rozenstruik vs. Ngannou as not being worthy of a crack at gold — but there’s a catch. Of course there is.
Heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic is a first responder. His duties as a firefighter take precendence during a pandemic, and rightfully so. Daniel Cormier is waiting in the wings to complete their trilogy. Which means Rozenstruik, should his hand be raised at UFC 249, could be sitting for a while.
Admitting that he had seen talk about his fight being a title eliminator online, Rozenstruik told media outlets including Cageside Press on Thursday at the UFC 249 virtual media day that “I’m looking for the title shot. After this, what I want is to go for the title shot, and be champion after that.”
With the situation so murky, however, an interim belt may be warranted. “I think it is the perfect situation for the interim title,” opined Rozenstruik. “To get the heavyweight division to move on, put in an interim title. If the champion is injured, or we have a situation, we have to understand that. And then it’s the job of the UFC to see what they can do for us [fighters].”
“I’m here because I want to be a champion. And after that, I want to stay champion,” he added.
Before you roll your eyes, keep in mind that it will be a year this August since the UFC’s heavyweight crown was last defended. There’s no telling when Miocic might be ready to fight, although UFC President Dana White has yet to dismiss the idea that he could be stripped.
That might end in a mutiny, given the situation and Miocic’s status in the sport, however. Stripping a first responder during a global pandemic has all the makings of a PR nightmare.
In the meantime, all Rozenstruik can do is focus on the task ahead. Luckily, he’s been able to do so. “Actually my training camp was pretty good. None of this affected my training camp. Because I was ready from March,” he told reporters on Thursday.
That, of course, is because his bout with Ngannou was originally booked to top UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus.
“As soon as the fight was called off, we took a couple of steps back. It didn’t effect me that much,” he explained. “Then the fight was still on in April, then postponed. We were like, ‘okay.’ And now May 9 is not too far. I had a good training camp, and I feel good today.”
“I feel I’m perfect,” Rozenstruik later added, agreeing that mentally, he felt the same as any other fight. As for the lack of an audience, “for me it doesn’t matter. Me and Francis are going to be there, handling business.”
Asked how the fight would play out — standing, as many no doubt hope, or on the ground — the Suriname native said only that “for me, I have perfect preparation. It doesn’t matter where the fight will go. It can go to the ground, or stay standing up. It’s MMA, it can go either way.”
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Francis Ngannou goes down at UFC 249 on May 9 from the Vystars Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The main card airs live on PPV following televised and online prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).
