Jairzinho Rozenstruik interested in fighting Curtis Blaydes next: “If he wants it and he’s ready, let’s go”

UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik is interested in facing Curtis Blaydes next, saying “if he wants it and he’s ready, let’s go.”

Rozenstruik knocked out Augusto Sakai at the last second of the first round in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 28 card. Rozenstruik entered the fight coming off of a lopsided loss to Ciryl Gane earlier this year, so a lot of fans were down on him heading into this matchup, but he proved the doubters wrong with another thunderous knockout win. By beating Sakai, Rozenstruik reaffirmed his spot in the UFC heavyweight top-10, but his goal is to fight for the belt, and that’s why he has his eyes on someone in the top-five next.

Speaking to the UFC on ESPN post-fight crew, Rozenstruik was asked who he wants to fight next, and one of the names mentioned was Blaydes. Rozenstruik is currently ranked No. 6 overall in the UFC and Blaydes is ranked No. 4, so this seems like a fight that makes a lot of sense on paper. Rozenstruik says that if Blaydes is ready to fight, he’ll accept the match.

“I mean that’s a name, he was asking for this fight for a long time. If he wants it and he’s ready, let’s go. I mean, he’s ranked above me. I’m looking there for my space back in the top-three, pulling back into title contention. So if that fight is going to bring me there, I’m on it,” Rozenstruik said.

Blaydes is coming off of a brutal KO loss to Derrick Lewis in his last outing but he has proven over the last few years that he is an elite heavyweight in the UFC. With Rozenstruik looking to break back into the top-five, this seems like a perfect matchup for both fighters.

Do you want to see Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight against Curtis Blaydes next?