Junior dos Santos is a bad matchup for Jairzinho Rozenstruik
UFC 252 features a heavyweight clash between Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. It's a big jump up for Jairzinho Rozenstruik who has made an impact in the heavyweight division with furious knockouts.
After going on a 10 fight winning streak, Jairzinho Rozenstruik faced the most powerful puncher in the history of MMA, Francis Ngannou on UFC 249. And the outcome did not go in the favor of Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Francis Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round and it was scary to watch. It has not been more than three months since Rozenstruik suffered that brutal KO in the octagon. And he has accepted a fight against the former heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos.
It's a surprise that the commission did not issue a medical suspension for Jairzinho Rozenstruik after the knockout he suffered in his last fight. To make things worse, Rozenstruik will be back in the octagon against JDS who has the power to turn the lights off at any moment in the fight.
Can Jairzinho Rozenstruik outstrike Junior Dos Santos?
Besides that, Junior dos Santos is more skilled when it comes to striking. It is hard to overlook the kickboxing experience of Jairzinho Rozenstruik. However, Junior dos Santos has showcased his striking skillsets against the best heavyweights in the world time and time again.
Both fighters are coming off losses in their last fight. However, the fight between Junior dos Santos and Curtis Blaydes was competitive until the finish. JDS was defending the takedowns from Curtis Blaydes. And the wrestling of Junior dos Santos will be a big problem for Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Alistair Overeem was able to win the grappling and wrestling exchanges against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. And Overeem is not known for his wrestling skills at the heavyweight division. Considering that, Junior dos Santos will have a ton of success if he decides to take the fight to the ground against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik did not have a lot of success against Alistair Overeem because Overeem was executing a brilliant gameplan. He was staying outside the range of Rozenstruik. He was not being impatient to get the knockout and get hit by a huge shot in the process. And Junior dos Santos can execute a similar gameplan to perfection.
dos Santos can outstrike Rozenstruik. It will be foolish to overlook the power that Rozenstruik has. However, Junior dos Santos is a much better fighter than Rozenstruik even at this stage of his career. He is also in tremendous shape right now. Junior Dos Santos is coming into the fight in the best shape of his career and it will be upset if Rozenstruik gets the win at UFC 252.