Las Vegas, NV — It took just 23 seconds for heavyweight Jaizinho Rozenstruik to return to the win column at UFC 282 on Saturday.
Rozenstruik (13-4) had suffered back-to-back defeats against Alexander Volkov and and Curtis Blaydes. At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, it was Chris Daukaus across the cage from him — though not for long.
“Bigi Boy” stormed out of the gate and went right after Daukaus, sitting him down with a jab. Following a big knee, Rozenstruik chased Daukaus across the octagon and put him down in violent fashion.
“I put in work, so that’s what you’re going to see,” Rozenstruik told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “It was not that — I don’t know. I just do what I have to do, and that’s it.”
Rozenstruik believed, heading into the fight, that his opponent couldn’t cope with the pressure he planned to bring. And the Surinamese heavyweight also knew what happens when he presses forward.
“We always work on fights, and I know he can’t handle the pressure. And I know another thing about myself, when I go forward, I knock people out,” Rozenstruik observed. “As soon as I got the opening, he threw the right, I jabbed him, and I seen it kind of rocked him, so I just followed up.”
Asked ahead of UFC 282 if Daukaus was small for the division, Rozenstruik had said he would have a better idea after the fight. Having shared the cage with the American, “I don’t think he’s small,” Rozenstruik said. “He a heavyweight, he’s fighting in the heavyweight division. He was 242 [pounds]. I don’t say those things about— we’re all here for fights, we want to win our fights, doesn’t matter how it goes. I want to win, and other than that I have nothing against him. I hope he wins the next fight, whoever he fights against.”
Back in the win column, the #9 ranked heavyweight gave notice to the top half of the weight class.
“I’ll say to the top five, don’t get too comfortable. As I say, I put a lot of work in what I do, and after a few fights [didn’t go my way], I’m back in the win column, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Watch the full UFC 282 post-fight media appearance by Jairzinho Rozenstruik above.
