Thunderous puncher, Tai Tuivasa, will return to the cage at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, with an explosive heavyweight match-up.
After losing his last four contests all by stoppage, the 31-year-old is hoping to bounce back with a knockout win against a man who won’t be coming to wrestle.
Tai Tuivasa will face Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 305
With the UFC heading back to his homeland, Tai Tuivasa can’t wait to produce a spectacular showing for his home fans. However, securing the victory won’t be easy, as the heavy-handed Aussie has a tough test on his hands in the form of Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The news was revealed during an interesting vlog posted by Alex Pereira on his YouTube channel. Giving the fans and indeed the crowd of people that gathered around them, what they wanted, the pair of knockout artists traded blows in a lighthearted, yet fascinating spar.
Following the session, the pair exchanged pleasantries, with Tuiviasa thanking the light-heavyweight champion in his native tongue, before informing his boxing coach, Plinio Cruz, that his student is very hard to hit.
The pair continued to chat, with Pereria’s mentor asking the power puncher when he’d fight next, to which Tuivasa replied: “August, Perth [UFC 305]… what’s his name? Rozenstruik. Good fight, no f***** wrestling. I’m sick of all the f****** wrestling.”
The magnificent collision pits two heavyweight titans against one another in a battle that could end at any given moment.
Tai Tuivasa vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a must-win for both fighters
In a sport as brutal as mixed martial arts, you only get so many shots at scaling the UFC mountain. Therefore, by the law of probability, both Tuivasa and Rozenstruik are running out of time.
While both men have had marvelous careers, neither would like to retire from the sport without competing for the championship belt.
And with the Sydney native currently 10th in the rankings, and the Surinamese brawler two places below at #12, a win in Perth would be enough to springboard themselves back into the conversation, while the loser could potentially find themselves outside the top 15.
After three consecutive defeats in the early portion of his UFC career, Tuivasa, renowned for his Shoey celebration, bounced back in a big way, stringing together five wins over the likes of Derrick Lewis and Greg Hardy.
Thus, while the powerhouse heavyweight has fallen on hard times, he’s already proven he has the minerals to bounce back from adversity. And the same can be said for Rozenstruik.
When the former kickboxing world champion was rendered unconscious by Francis Ngannou, rather than let the devastation weigh him down, he jumped back on the horse, defeating Junior Dos Santos. Therefore, while he’s had bumps in the road since, he’s clearly not lacking in the mentality department.
When the pair face off in front of a roaring crowd at one of the most significant events of the year, they’ll put it all on the line, with one proving they still belong at the top table, while the other faces the reality of another loss on their record.
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