Heavy hitters collide at UFC 305.
It’s a home game for Australian knockout artist Tai Tuivasa as he makes his return against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Both fighters have fought the who’s who of the heavyweight division and now it’s finally time for the perennial contenders to meet inside the UFC Octagon.
Suriname-native Rozenstruik attempts to string together back-to-back wins, picking up some momentum in his last outing – a fourth-round TKO win over the undefeated Shamil Gaziev from earlier this year. Rozenstruik’s won two out of his last three fights with his opponent Tuivasa not being so lucky as of recently.
Tuivasa is on the worst losing skid of his career, dropping four fights in a row to top contenders such as Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov and lastly, Marcin Tybura, who he lost by submission to in his last fight in March.
Tuivasa vs. Rozenstruik takes place from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on the main card of UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya.
Round 1:
Fight begins at a very slow pace. Rozenstruik lands a leg kick. Rozenstruik fires an overhand right. Rozenstruik fires an inside leg kick on Tuivasa. Another kick from Rozenstruik. Tuivasa can’t seem to land from the distance, getting picked apart from the outside. Rozenstruik pumps a jab and then a kick. Tuivasa throws and misses. Tuivasa lands a leg kick. Right hand lands for Rozenstruik. Rozenstruik continues to tag Tuivasa with several shots. Body kick for Rozenstruik. Tuivasa swings big but doesn’t find his target.
Round 2:
Rozenstruik lands a kick to the lead leg of Tuivasa. Tuivasa loads up on a left hand with Rozenstruik going to the body. Tuivasa finds a home for his punches in the pocket as he presses forward. Rozenstruik stands his ground, getting some respect from Tuivasa with a combo of strikes. Rozenstruik fires more shots that connect followed by a knee. Rozenstruik pours on the pressure delivering a flurry of strikes with Tuivasa backed close to the cage. Tuivasa survives and keeps walking forward. 1-2 lands for Rozenstruik. Right hand gets through for Tuivasa before the bell.
Round 3:
Rozenstruik sticks Tuivasa with a jab. The heavyweights trade shots up close. Tuivasa gets tagged by a jab and then another. Tuivasa lands a punch to the body. Tuivasa keeps moving forward, eating a few shots as he’s closing in. Rozenstruik lands a combo in the pocket. Tuivasa fires a leg kick. Tuivasa swings big and misses. Rozenstruik counters Tuivasa with a punch. Jab continues to be effective for Rozenstruik. Rozenstruik clips Tuivasa with a punch and then an uppercut with Tuivasa trying turn up the heat. Rozenstruik points down to the canvas in the final seconds, inviting Tuivasa to exchange punches.
Official result: Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeats Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Check out the highlights below:
https://x.com/UFCFRA/status/1825007069608435764
Jairzinho Rozenstruik gets the Split Decision win!#UFC305 | @JairRozenstruik pic.twitter.com/llCdnRxN06
— UFC (@ufc) August 18, 2024
