UFC APEX, Las Vegas. USA
On the night of June 6, another UFC Fight Night event will take place in Las Vegas. In the main fight of the night, the top heavyweights who both failed in their previous fights, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (No.6) and Augusto Sakai (No.9) will meet.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik: Two losses didn’t put him away
Rozenstruik was just recently one of the title contenders, knocking out his opponents. After reaching Francis Ngannou, he was knocked out, and then Cyril Gane even more accurately pointed out his gaps in preparation. All in all, Jairzinho is no contender now, but he hasn’t lost hope of becoming one again.
Two defeats didn’t put him very far away. He’s now No.6 on the list of contenders in the heavyweight division. But the trouble is that Jairzinho is a predictable fighter. Everybody knows what he does, he’s a tough puncher (just a touch), he’s confusing his opponents with low kicks, distracting them with his hands. That’s pretty much it. The Surinamese has done a lot of kickboxing, but he can’t and doesn't like to fight. If something goes wrong, he gets lost and is unable to change his fight plan as he goes along.
His game plan for his fight with Sakai is also not very original. It’s the same as always:
I lost my last fight, but I’ve got a chance to get better. I’m glad I’m here, that they gave me a new fight on short notice. In the fight with Sakai, I have to work at number one. I’m going to push the gas all the time, no matter what happens. Get ready to see a spectacular fight.
Augusto Sakai: Strange, but he’s already dreaming of the top 5
Sakai has about the same story. He’s not very good at fighting, and after six straight wins, he lost to Alistair Overeem by TKO. He has a record of 15 wins (11 by knockout, 0 by submission) and 2 defeats.
Augusto said that after Rosenstrike, he wants to fight someone in the top 5. Usually, these conversations end badly.
Jairzinho has power, but I also have a knockout punch. I’ve demonstrated that many times during my fights in the UFC. I plan to play my game and win. Any fighter in our weight class can show an explosive fight and finish their opponent. But this time I expect to leave the cage victorious by knocking out Jairzinho.
The Brazilian lost to Overeem in the fifth round and believes his injuries early in the fight are to blame. That’s a lot for a bettor to think about, isn’t it? Augusto Sakai had no other losses, and in the UFC he had four fights and won them all.
Expert Betting Tips
Rozenstruik is not a top fighter and has many weaknesses, but Augusto Sakai simply does not have the resources to exploit those weaknesses. He’s the same pure puncher, with no groundwork skills and not the best cardio.
He’s very handy for the Surinamese. The war will be fought in a stance and won’t last long. Rozenstruik has a better chance of winning because he’s a heavier puncher and has a bigger arsenal of punches.
Betting options:
- W1 for 1.82;
- Total Under 1.5 for 2.56;
- W1 by KO, TKO, DQ for 2.40.
Other predictions
