UFC 244’s Jairzinho Rozenstruik looking to climb rankings, open to Francis Ngannou fight

Jairzinho Rozenstruik made quite the impression in his last outing.

The Surinamese heavyweight knocked Allen Crowder out cold in just nine seconds when they met at UFC Greenville back in June. It was the second-fastest knockout in heavyweight history.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-235) KOs Allen Crowder QUICKLY to kick off UFC Fight Night!#UFCGreenville #SportsBetting pic.twitter.com/HSlMoPdUJ6

— SBR Sports Picks (@SBRSportsPicks) June 22, 2019

That followed a TKO win over Junior Albini earlier in the year as “Bigi Boy” is 2-0 in the UFC as well as 8-0 as a professional.

Rozenstruik now faces former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC 244 on November 2 and is looking to make yet another impression — this time, against someone he used to watch back in the day.

“I always watch Andrei. He has my respect for sure,” Rozenstruik told The Body Lock’s John Hyon Ko. “I was playing with him on my Playstation and now I’m going to compete against him in real life. I’m excited for the moment to compete against himself. I hope it’s going to be a huge experience. I’m looking forward to that.

“… Andrei has still got the skills. Many guys in the UFC call him the gatekeeper of the heavyweights so we’re going to see November 2.”

Should he defeat Arlovski, the unbeaten heavyweight could potentially get a ranked opponent next. However, he doesn’t have any particular name in mind — he just wants anyone he can get.

“For me, no one,” he responded when asked who he wanted to face. “I just want to beat [everyone in] the rankings and the top 15, I’m looking forward to that. As soon as I’m getting in there, I’m going to start taking them out and try to be the heavyweight champion.”

That includes Francis Ngannou, arguably the biggest knockout artist in the UFC today. “The Predator” recently expressed his frustration at not getting a fight.

And if the UFC wants to book a fight between the pair down the line, Rozenstruik will not be backing down.

“If the UFC decides to do that, I’ll for sure, what do you think? I’m not stepping backward for no one so let’s get it on,” he added.

You can watch the full interview below: