Wish granted: Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik to headline UFC Columbus
Jairzinho Rozenstruik will get his wish for a heavyweight showcase with Francis Ngannou in March.
After calling for the matchup with Ngannou (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) both before and after his recent victory over Alistair Overeem, Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has been granted the bout, which would seemingly serve as a heavyweight title eliminator.
The pairing of knockout specialists will headline the UFC’s recently announced March 28 event at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Broadcast plans have not been revealed.
MMA Junkie verified both sides have agreed to the fight with people close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Rozenstruik had a spectacular first year inside the octagon in 2019. Beginning with his February debut, he rattled off four consecutive winning performances, all of which ended by knockout. The most recent of those came against Overeem at UFC on ESPN 7 last weekend when Rozenstruik pulled off a lip-splitting finish in the final seconds.
Ngannou his won his past three by knockout, as well, and was seemingly the clear top contender to the title. The UFC is booking champion Stipe Miocic in a trilogy bout vs. Daniel Cormier, though, meaning the path to the title will blocked for awhile. Ngannou has been pushing for another fight in the meantime to stay active, and now he’s got a willing foe.