Heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s display in the Middle East this past weekend was enough to signal the end of his UFC journey.
Rozenstruik featured on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, sharing the Octagon with a fellow power-puncher in Sergei Pavlovich. While that left many predicting a knockout one way or the other, fans inside Riyadh’s anb Arena instead witnessed three rounds of lackluster action.
The Russian ultimately had his hand raised after getting the nod on all three scorecards, but neither man has been exempt from criticism in the aftermath.
For “Bigi Boy,” the bout marked his latest gun-shy performance. The Surinamese behemoth has produced plenty of highlights inside the Octagon, knocking out the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, and Chris Daukaus. But he’s also frequently been criticized for a perceived safe approach in other outings.
And the UFC evidently shares the frustration of the fanbase.
Just days on from the Feb. 1 event in Saudi Arabia, Rozenstruik has been released from his contract. After the @UFCRosterWatch account on X first flagged his removal from the roster, MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin confirmed the release.
Rozenstruik departs having gone 9-6 under the UFC banner. The 36-year-old featured in six main events and collected three Performance of the Night bonuses.
It remains to be seen what will come next for “Bigi Boy,” but fans are already speculating about a potential move to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in the coming weeks and months.
