Heavyweight action has been added to the UFC’s inaugural trip to Saudi Arabia, as Jair Rozenstruik will take on Shamil Gaziev at the event.
News of Rozenstruik versus Gaziev was first reported by Gaziev’s manager earlier this week, with Rozenstruik confirming the fight was a done deal. “SIGNED! Bigi Boy vs Shamil Gaziev – March 2, 2024,” the Surinamese heavyweight wrote on social media.
A former champion in multiple kickboxing promotions, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-6) made the transition to MMA first in 2012 but did not jump sports full time until 2017. He arrived in the UFC in 2019 after a stop in RIZIN, and instantly entered the main event picture, toppling Alistair Overeem in a memorable finish at UFC DC in just his fourth fight with the company.
After going 4-0 to start his UFC run, however, Rozenstruik encountered a number of setbacks, falling to Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou, and Curtis Blaydes, among others. He’s currently 1-3 in his last four, and coming off a loss against Jailton Almeida.
Gaziev (12-0) is an undefeated prospect out of Bahrain who picked up a win over Martin Buday in his promotional debut at UFC 296. The 33-year old is a product of the 2023 Contender Series.
UFC Saudi Arabia takes place on March 2, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The following fights have been reported for the event:
- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez
- Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
- Ľudovít Klein vs. Joel Álvarez
- Vinicius Oliveira vs Yanis Ghemmouri
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
- Mohammad Yahya vs. Brendan Marotte
