"If you stay on the periphery, you're going to get picked apart" - Kenny Florian casts his prediction for Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Former UFC fighter Kenny Florian has shared his thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight clash between Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
In the latest episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast, 'Ken-Flo' talked about the upcoming main event. Florian said that although Rozenstruik could shut Volkov's lights out with one heavy shot, the possibility of it happening is low.
According to Florian, 'Drago' will emerge victorious in the matchup:
"He [Jairzinho Rozenstruik] needs to be aggressive. He tries to lay back or tries to cruise through any of these rounds, I think that's what Volkov's really gonna take over. When you have a guy who is a striker, who is that tall and long and utilizes a lot of those long range weapons well, if you back up or if you cruise or if you stay on the periphery, you're going to get picked apart even if you're a very good striker. So, Rozenstruik can catch him, sure. He's got the power to stop him but I just don't see it happening... I like Volkov here."
Catch the full episode of the podcast below:
Volkov and 'Bigi Boy' will headline the June 4 UFC card in a five-round heavyweight clash. Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev will serve as the co-main event that night.
UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Rozenstruik - June 4, 2022 ufc.com/event/ufc-figh… #TeamBigiBoy https://t.co/bkADIiJjcl
Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik have a combined 33 knockout victories between them
Knockouts are a reasonable expectation when it comes to heavyweight fights. Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik have delivered on that promise multiple times.
'Bigi Boy' has 12 MMA victories to his name, 11 of which have come via knockouts. Volkov, on the other hand, has knocked out 22 of his past opponents. Hence, there is a strong possibility that the June 4 main event ends in a finish.
Both fighters will be coming off a loss heading into UFC Vegas 55. So, it will be interesting to see which heavyweight manages to turn things around and return to winning ways this Saturday.