Jairzinho Rozenstruik & Tai Tuivasa Will Bring Hammers to UFC 305
Tai Tuivasa is a hard guy not to like. Set aside the fact that he isn’t afraid to drink beer from a stranger’s shoes. Tuivasa, a Sydney, Australia native, likes to finish fights. He is friendly and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.
It makes sense that the UFC would include him in UFC 305, which will be held Aug. 18, 2024, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. But pairing Tuivasa with Jairzinho Rozenstruik could be a disastrous moment in his career. Rozenstruik comes from a kickboxing background and likes to hunt for knockouts.
Tuivasa is in the worst stretch of his career since he joined the UFC. MMAfighting latest news shows that he has been knocked out or submitted in his previous four fights. Rozenstruik is coming off a TKO win over Shamiel Gaziev.
But his resume reflects that he had had some trouble as well. Rozenstruik lost three of his past five fights. He is vulnerable against people who are strong wrestlers, but Tuivasa seems unlikely to test him on the ground.
This should be a fun heavyweight night for what the UFC is hoping is a strong pay-per-view card.
Tuivasa Still Lingering in Top 10
It’s hard to believe for a minute that Tuivasa appeared to be one win away from a shot at the UFC heavyweight championship. Following a win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 271, Tuivasa was riding a four-fight winning streak and was set up to fight former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane.
Gane made Tuivasa’s life miserable during a fight night in Paris, France. The French star utilized his length and striking ability to punish Tuivasa to the body. While Tuivasa sent Gane crashing to the canvas in the third round, he couldn’t finish the fight.
Gane would turn the tables and finish the fight himself after an accumulation of body shots set up punches that allowed him to put the fight away. Tuivasa followed that up with another knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich.
Tuivasa’s losing streak was stretched to four following submission losses to Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura. The loss to Tybura earlier this year came in the first round, and Tuivasa looked lost.
Despite this, Tuivasa is No. 10 in the heavyweight rankings, while Rozenstruik is at No. 12.
Rozenstruik is No Stranger to Adversity
Rozenstruik broke through to MMA and appeared to be a fighter the UFC had earmarked for big things if he could prove he could perform. After entering, Rozenstruik was leaving everyone in his wake. Four consecutive knockout wins allowed him to fight against future heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at UFC 249.
MMA news sites show that Rozenstruik wasn’t prepared for what came next. Rozenstruik attempted to be aggressive with Ngannou. Ngannou would turn that against him and knock him out 20 seconds into the fight. It was the first loss of Rozenstruik’s career.
Since then, Rozenstruik has gone 3-4 overall, with losses coming to Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Volkov and Jailton Almeida. While many of Rozenstruik’s losses have come to top contenders, there will be a sense of urgency to pick up wins now.
Tuivasa Was Originally a Rugby Hopeful
Tuivasa had initially hoped to be a rugby league player. He was signed by the Sydney Roosters rugby league club in 2010. However, personal demons derailed his rugby career.
Tuivasa decided to give up the sport after he developed a gambling problem. Nearly two years later, Tuivasa entered MMA and started his career fighting in regional promotions in Australia. Tuivasa won his first six fights before earning a UFC contract in 2016.
Tuivasa’s time in the UFC has been filled with many ups and downs. He won his first three fights in the promotion, stretching his career record to 9-0. However, a losing streak threatened his job security in the company.
Tuivasa was knocked out by former champion Junior dos Santos, then lost fights to Blagoy Ivanov and Serghei Spivac. Tuivasa is best known for his knockout of Greg Hardy at UFC 264. Hardy, a former professional football player, had drawn the ire of many people when he came to the promotion after being involved in a domestic violence incident.
Tuivasa winning by knockout drew a massive reaction from the crowd wanting to see Hardy get to sleep. It was the first of three consecutive Performance of the Night Bonuses for Tuivasa.
UFC 305 Set to Have Plenty of Local Flavor
When the UFC goes to Australia, the promotion always likes to have plenty of fighters with ties to Australia and New Zealand on the card. This time, the main event will feature a middleweight title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. Adesanya is a former champion who was raised in New Zealand.
While Adesanya was born in Nigeria, he moved to New Zealand as a child. Du Plessis, who lives in South Africa, has contributed to the buildup by saying he’s the only real African champion in UFC history.
MMA latest news updates show this crowd will be juiced for the main event.
Tuivasa-Rozenstruik Fighting for Relevance
Tuivasa is a fun fighter with a good personality. But that won’t carry you in the UFC. Eventually, you have to win fights to stay on the roster.
Also, in Tuivasa’s case, he isn’t the type of fighter who wants the fight to go the distance. Tuivasa’s fights usually end in spectacular knockouts for one side or the other. Taking too many of those defeats isn’t good for long-term health. Tuivasa needs to think about himself at some point.
Rozenstruik is the type of fighter who could put Tuivasa out cold again. Expect this fight to be one where both fighters come out and are worried about continuing to rebuild their reputation as contenders to earn a heavyweight title shot, according to MMA breaking news.
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
By Dean McHugh.
