Reports are alleging that Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will face each other at UFC 266. As of now, it’s unknown what the venue will be for the event or which city will house the card.
So far, all fights can count on is for the heavyweights to cause a ripple in the current UFC rankings. While Blaydes is ranked #4 in the division, Rozenstruik, AKA “Bigi Boy,” is rated #6. With such a high ranking for both competitors, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the winner of this matchup could secure a plethora of desirable outcomes.
For starters, if the win is impressive enough, it could mean gaining a chance against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. First, of course, if and after Ngannou faces Derrick Lewis in an inevitable rematch. Secondly, if the win isn’t definitive by UFC standards, it could mean a matchup against former champion Stipe Miocic.
Lastly and probably the most beneficial to their career, a win could garner the attention of Jon Jones. The entire world is waiting for the heavyweight debut of Jones. Securing a matchup against Jon would give either competitor a chance to the first fight in Jon’s heavyweight career. Additionally, they have the opportunity to be the first person to defeat who many consider the greatest of all time.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Announced
For now, both men will have to fight each other, according to multiple sources from MMA Fighting.
A heavyweight fight between Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik is agreed for UFC's Fight Night card in Sept. 25, multiple sources told myself and @DamonMartin. Story coming to @MMAFighting.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) June 15, 2021
“A heavyweight fight between Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik is agreed for UFC’s fight night card in September 25th, multiple sources told myself and Damon Martin,” wrote Guilherme Cruz on Twitter.
Tale of the Tape
Blaydes is currently coming off of a knockout loss to title contender Derrick Lewis. But before that, Curtis was on a four-fight win streak, going undefeated in 2019 and 2020. He’ll hope to rebound from the defeat and get back on track towards his goal of becoming champion.
Rozenstruik, however, is coming off of a relatively quick TKO finish over Augusto Sakai. Bigi Boy hopes to put together a string of wins so that his chances at a title shot are undeniable.
Unfortunately, both men have already lost to the current champion by knockout. So it might be a hard sell to book a title fight. For now, fans can look forward to Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
