Jairzinho Rozenstruik won the UFC Vegas 87 main event after Shamil Gaziev was unable to continue due to vision problems in one eye.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik? Yeah, he’s back in the game. After Shamil Gaziev complained about a vision problem in one eye, the UFC Vegas 87 main event had to be stopped. Referee Marc Goddard was the one who called it off.
Rozenstruik’s win wasn’t exactly the grand finish he’d hoped for. But hey, he was dominating when the fight was stopped. Gaziev was on the receiving end of Rozenstruik’s jabs throughout the match. By round four, Gaziev was barely holding on, mostly just eating punches.
Gaziev’s corner revealed his vision issues. Goddard, sensing something was off, demanded to know what was up. Once he found out Gaziev couldn’t see, he stopped the fight. Rozenstruik’s win bumped his record to 2-1 in his last three UFC appearances.
Rozenstruik was pretty stoked about his performance. “It was amazing,” he said. He’d taken time to work on himself and it showed. He didn’t rush for a knockout, but followed his corner’s advice: stick to the jab, keep moving forward. And it worked. Gaziev gave up.
Rozenstruik’s ready for more. “I’d love to come back like July or August. Anybody that’s out there, come and get it.”
The fight had a slow start. Gaziev was all about the takedown, while Rozenstruik countered with a slick lead jab and avoided wrestling attacks. Gaziev managed to push Rozenstruik against the cage, but couldn’t get the fight to the canvas.
Rozenstruik’s response? He kept jabbing Gaziev’s face. Gaziev’s face turned into a bloody mess from repeated hits to his nose. Rozenstruik was careful not to overcommit, just kept peppering Gaziev with straight punches.
As the fight wore on, Gaziev’s movements became labored. Rozenstruik, on the other hand, looked fresh. Gaziev tried for another takedown, but Rozenstruik shrugged him off and reset in the cage center.
Rozenstruik then started moving forward, throwing heavy punches. Gaziev was on his backfoot, his energy dwindling. Rozenstruik didn’t go all out, wary of a takedown, but kept jabbing Gaziev’s face without much resistance.
Gaziev went to his corner, mouth open, legs barely holding him up. He admitted he was struggling to see out of one eye. This led to a heated exchange with Goddard, who brought in a ringside physician to examine Gaziev.
Once Goddard confirmed Gaziev’s vision problem, he stopped the fight. Rozenstruik started celebrating.
Rozenstruik was once seen as a future heavyweight contender. But he’s had a hard time maintaining momentum, with a record of wins and losses. With this latest victory, he’s hoping to turn things around in 2024.