UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai betting odds, preview, and pick

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-2) and Augusto Sakai (15-2-1) both have their backs against the wall ahead of their UFC Fight Night clash on June 5. We have the betting odds and preview you need for this heavyweight crossroads battle.

Rozenstruik is looking to rebound

Rozenstruik was once positioned as the future of the division, but a brutal KO loss to Francis Ngannou and a painfully boring defeat to Ciryl Gane in his last fight has him looking more like a gatekeeper.

Before his momentum stopped, Rozenstruik showed signs of being a versatile striker with tremendous power. His kickboxing skills are formidable, and is at his best when he’s firing first and setting the pace.

Sakai needs a big win

Sakai has had a rocky start to his UFC run with many wondering if the talented battler has a role to play in the stacked heavyweight division. A disputed split-decision win against the hideously faded Andrei Arlovski and a lopsided stoppage loss to Alistair Overeem has been the extent of his accomplishments thus far.

Still, Sakai’s background in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and his conditioning has him in this fight. Like Rozenstruik, he is best when he’s not being pushed backwards. Unlike Rozenstruik, he has more than one way to win a fight and has a better gas tank.

Rozenstruik will KO Sakai early

There will be hints of desperation from the get-go, and these two are sure to bang it out early. Rozenstruik’s power is consistent from round-to-round, and he’s the bigger striker between the two. Sakai might be able to weather an early storm and come on stronger as the fight progresses.

This fight doesn’t look like it will go the distance. While neither fighter poses a tactical advantage over the other, Rozenstruik has had better performances over the course of his career, and will enjoy having an easy target in front of him. From what we’ve seen of Sakai, his career in the UFC might come to a close sooner, rather than later.

At this point, the inevitability of the two trading shots makes it easy to give this fight to Rozenstruik, who should bomb Sakai out in two rounds or fewer.

MMA pick: Rozenstruik (-118)