Jairzinho Rozenstruik believes UFC Vegas 87 fight against Shamil Gaziev comes down to “who lands first”

Jairzinho Rozenstruik knows his UFC Vegas 87 main event fight against Shamil Gaziev won’t be needing the judges.

Rozenstruik is coming off a stoppage loss to Jailton Almeida back in May which he admits was a tough defeat to deal with. After that, Rozenstruik said he wanted time off to fix some things but was hoping to return at the end of 2023.

“I wanted some time off as well. This timing worked out for me, I did want to fight at the end of last year, but this date worked for me,” Rozenstruik said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com.

Once Jairzinho Rozenstruik was ready to return, he was booked to face Shamil Gaziev in the main event of UFC Vegas 87. Gaziev only has one UFC fight but is 12-0 as a pro which is why Rozenstruik thinks he’s getting the main event spot.

“I think this is because he has a perfect record which is impressive. That is also a challenge for me to get a win over him. I think his record is the main reason behind him getting a main event… He does what he does, he wins but now it’s up to me to stop him. I’m looking forward to it, it’s an interesting one, and it’s a big challenge,” Rozenstruik said.

Heading into this scrap, Jairzinho Rozenstruik knows Shamil Gaziev is dangerous on the feet. So, the 12th-ranked heavyweight contender thinks his UFC Vegas 87 main event could come down to who lands first.

“It might benefit me, it might now. The biggest thing is to get the job done, and get my hand raised. That is what I’m focused on and working on… He’s a big dude, he likes to come forward, we will see. If he comes to throw hands, we know the answer, who lands first wins. Other than that, the game plan we will see, I’m looking for a win no matter what,” Rozenstruik said.

Should Rozenstruik get the KO win that he’s after, he hopes he can get a top-10 opponent next and start working his way up the rankings.

“It would put my heart in a better place, get the bad taste out of my mouth and start climbing the rankings,” Rozenstruik said.