UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik is going to be the most interesting UFC fight this weekend. It will take place in Washington DC, and although it wasn’t planned like this, it surely raises a lot of attention. At first, the Dutch veteran was supposed to meet Walt Harris, who pulled out on November 1 due to a family tragedy. Jairzinho Rozenstruik jumped in as a replacement.
Preview
Alistair Overeem (45-17 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is an MMA legend. For more than 20 years, he has been one of the biggest stars when talking about combat sports. And he knows that there isn’t too much time left in his fists. It is now or never for him when it comes to making a final push for the UFC belt. The Dutchman spoke before this fight about his plans, saying that he intends to compete for two, possibly three more years. His long tenure in UFC is because of one reason, and that is the above-mentioned belt. The Demolition Man, who previously held titles in Strikeforce, K-1, and Dream, is one of two persons who had titles in both MMA and K1, but if he reaches the belt in the UFC, we might say that he is the best MMA fighter of all times. Back in 2016, at UFC 203, he was near that achievement, but Stipe Miocic knocked him out. After that match, Overeem had mixed success, beating Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum before losing to Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou. Nevertheless, he comes into this event after two KO-wins vs. Sergei Pavlovich and Alexey Oleynik. Both of them came in the opening round.
As for Jairzinho Rozenstruik (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), he is also from the Dutch MMA school, and like Overeem, he too is a powerful puncher who can solve the bout in a blink of an eye. His last four victories ended by a knockout, three of them in the first round. Rozenstruik earned a bonus for Performance of the Night by beating Allen Crowder via KO in the opening round at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie. The fight lasted for nine seconds. After that, Rozenstruik demolished Andrei Arlovski in less than half a minute. Now that is impressive, regardless of any circumstance. What is an enigma about this guy, is can he go to distance with an experienced fighter like Overeem. Youth is on his side, but we never saw him against a top competitor in that situation. Right now, many see him as the fastest rising star in the heavyweight division and project him the future similar to Francis Ngannou’s. In fact, the Bigi Boy, as the fans like to call him, wants to challenge Ngannou after this contest. Whether is he ready or not for such a step, we will see in this fight.
Prediction
We have to give the edge here to the more experienced Overeem. After all, he had numerous fights like these, and although the veteran Dutch didn’t shine against the big names lately, he is closer to the win here. Rozenstruik is a bit under-average wrestler, and even though Overeem isn’t great on the ground, this could be his way of wearing down the opponent. The Demolition Man knows to engage in that sort of battle and to use it to his advantage. BetXChange is offering a nice profit on Overeem’s victory, with the odds at 0.77. According to the bookmakers all around the world this is going to be one pretty tight battle. Yet, we are backing up the win of the older Dutchman, precisely because of his age and experience.
