Scouting Report: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Born: March 17, 1988 (Age: 35) in Paramaribo, Suriname
Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6’2”
Reach: 78”
Record: 13-4 (7-4 UFC)
Association: American Top Team
Stage of Career: Prime to Post-Prime

Summary: Rozenstruik has one of the most fascinating styles in all of MMA. Essentially, he looks mediocre in fights—right up to the point where he knocks his opponent out. Rozenstruik is not interested in scoring points or winning rounds. He simply probes and waits to set up the perfect opportunity to throw a series of murderous strikes for the stoppage. All of his punches are sound, and most of them are powerful. His overhand right and tremendous right hook are his most terrifying weapons. His left hook carries the same power, but it often comes across as somewhat telegraphed and slow. Rozenstruik can explode with punches whenever he sees an opening, especially his unique left hook-into-overhand right combination. He also features good cardio and retains his power deep into bouts. Rozenstruik’s once-unbreakable chin may be eroding with time and miles, as evidenced by his failed encounter with Alexander Volkov in 2022. He has no offensive grappling of which to speak, looking instead to nullify and survive in those exchanges. Due largely to his unique approach, Rozenstruik remains an underrated but dangerous heavyweight contender.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Average.
• Jab: Stiff and straight. He utilizes it frequently.
• Cross: A technical, powerful shot that he throws particularly well off the jab, especially since he is tricky and will occasionally throw the jab by itself.
• Left Hook: While telegraphed and somewhat slow, it is powerful and more than capable of delivering knockouts.
• Right Hook: He often uses it to try to get through a guard. It’s fairly fast and accurate, with a tight arc and proper rotation, although his hand is slightly hitched, with the hand too low relative to the elbow. Rozenstruik can throw it with tremendous power while running forward and off-balance, as he showed in his violent knockout of Alistair Overeem.
• Overhand Right: Thrown with a tight arc, good rotation and true one-punch knockout power.
• Uppercuts: Rarely throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Probes with solitary punches but explodes with thunderous combinations if he senses an opening. He also excels at throwing fast, powerful hooks to the body in combination.
• Favorite Combination(s): The unusual three-four, which poses a significant knockout threat.
• Leg Kicks: Surprisingly light for a former kickboxer, and he throws them naked, although he does keep his hands up while doing so and chooses the right time. Some of his roundhouse leg kicks do not even see him turning his hips into the strike properly.
• Body Kicks: Features a nice teep, which is accurate if not especially damaging.
• Head Kicks: Powerful.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Excels at firing a head kick after he enjoys some success with punches, as he did twice against Junior Albini.
• Knees: Uses a forceful, well-timed jumping strike he seems to fire instinctively when an opponent covers up.

Rozenstruik presents exceptional danger in the standup department. It does not often feel this way, as he will only throw significant strikes if he senses a real opening and opportunity to get the knockout. Otherwise, he remains content to only throw a probing jab or a leg kick. His jab is nice, but the leg kick is shockingly weak for a former kickboxer. However, lulling others into a false sense of security is part of the strategy, as Rozenstruik can explode with lethal punches from either hand. He puts together his punches effectively—he can even throw them while going backwards, as he did in his knockout of Andrei Arlovski—and has shown the ability to combine multiple punches to the body. Defensively, Rozenstruik has flaws and vulnerabilities: He tends to stay in place with his feet and lacks head movement.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: Decent.
• Technique: Average. He has improved in this area but still gets taken down in close quarters, where his defense remains far from optimal.
• Knees: Rarely throws them for fear they will result in his being taken down.
• Elbows: Does not use them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Mediocre at best, as he is too concerned with being taken down. He will gladly eat shots if it means he can avoid the ground.

Like every other aspect of grappling, Rozenstruik seeks to avoid the clinch. He will often willingly get hit with knees and elbows so long as it means he can avoid being taken down. He has flaws in his technique, which only leaves him vulnerable to takedowns.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Non-existent.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Non-existent.
• Takedown Defense: Better than average. Rozenstruik can stuff bad attempts, and he does battle for underhooks and frames opponents in the clinch.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Substandard. He tries to hip escape immediately but is often slow and awkward at finding the right angle, relying on strength and athleticism instead of technique.
• Submissions: Non-existent to this point.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: He has become at least competent, and while he can be vulnerable to ground-and-pound, he does control the biceps.
• Top control: Difficult to parse, as he only moves there when an opponent is stunned.
• Ground-and-Pound: Unleashes solid but slightly wild punches and the occasional hard elbow.

Rozenstruik has worked hard to improve his vulnerabilities in the grappling phase. While they still exist, they are not as easy to exploit as they once were. His above-average takedown defense allows him to reliably stuff weak attempts. However, he struggles to get back to his feet once his back hits the mat. Rozenstruik can be hit with ground-and-pound, but he manages to control the biceps and can decently defend against submissions. As a result, he can lose a round after being taken down but usually lives to fight on. On the rare occasions where he finds himself on top, Rozenstruik carries respectable ground-and-pound of his own.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Average in both areas. He can look heavy and lumbering with his movement at times.
• Cardio: When he fights at a slower pace, he can go all five rounds with little drop-off, as he proved against Ciryl Gane. When he fights more energetically, Rozenstruik can appear winded at the midway point. Even so, he continues to throw thunderous strikes while showing reasonable takedown defense.
• Chin: Once great, it could be in decline.
• Recuperative Powers: Suspect. During the few times where he appeared visibly hurt, Rozenstruik wound up getting knocked out.
• Intelligence: He has shown considerable improvement in his grappling skills over the course of his UFC career. Rozenstruik does not make any obvious tactical errors during his fights. Additionally, it takes sufficiently high fight IQ to make his unique style work.