The heavyweights continue to grab the headlines as the UFC returns with another UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as No. 4-ranked Jairzinho Rozenstruik battles No. 7-ranked Ciryl Gane.
Initially, this matchup had been set to occur at a UFC Fight Night on March 13. The UFC decided they wanted to hold an event on February 27. They needed a headliner, so Rozenstruik-Gane was bumped up to square off two weeks earlier.
Rozenstruik took the MMA world by storm, plowing through the heavyweight division when he entered the company in February 2019 with four consecutive knockouts. He was on the cusp of a title shot when he took on Francis Ngannou at UFC 249 in a battle of the two most devastating punchers in the division. Whoever landed the first heavy punch would likely be the victor.
That guy was Ngannou, winning by KO in 20 seconds. Rozenstruik rebounded in a big way, stopping former champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 252. The 32-year-old has been chomping at the bit to return and plans on making an example of Gane.
"I want to fight," Rozenstruik told SCMP MMA. "So any fighter that they give me or is available for me, I just fight. Right now, this guy has a lot of hype. It's a big opportunity to kill the hype and show exactly what I am. Why I'm there. It's not that it was given to me. I worked hard to be there, so it's an opportunity to make a statement that I belong [at] the top, and I'm a title contender. I'm happy that I can be busy, fight again, stay sharp. So I can be ready for what's coming next."
Like his opponent this weekend, Gane's also put the heavyweights on notice. Debuting six months later than Rozenstruik, Gane's won three of his four bouts inside the Octagon by stoppage, including a second-round TKO win over dos Santos in his last time out at UFC 256.
A victory puts themselves in a position to move closer to a championship opportunity.
Here is everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane.
When is UFC Fight Night: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 27
- Prelims: 5 p.m. ET
- Main card: 8 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane takes place Saturday night, Feb. 27. Prelims get underway at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane TV, live stream info
In the United States, the prelims and main card are on ESPN+.
In Canada, the prelims (5 p.m. ET) and main card are on TSN5.
In the U.K., UFC Fight Night can be seen live BT Sport 1 (prelims at 11 p.m. GMT and main card at 1 a.m. on Sunday).
In Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain, the UFC Fight Night main card (2 a.m. CET Sunday) is available on DAZN, the global sports streaming service.
More details about how to watch in other countries can be found at UFC.com.
Where is UFC Fight Night?
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rozenstruik and Gane compete at the Apex for the second time.
UFC Fight Night odds
Bet MGM (as of Feb. 23) has installed as a sizable favorite at -275 meaning you'd need to bet $275 to win $100. Meanwhile, Rozenstruik is at +230, meaning if you bet $100, you'd net $230.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik record, bio
- Name: Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Nationality: Surinamese
- Born: March 17, 1988
- Height: 6-2
- Reach: 78 inches
- Total fights: 12
- Record: 11-1
Ciryl Gane record, bio
- Name: Ciryl Gane
- Nationality: French
- Born: April 12, 1990
- Height: 6-6
- Reach: 81 inches
- Total fights: 7
- Record: 7-0
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane fight card
Main card
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane; Heavyweight
- Nikita Krylov vs. Magomed Ankalaev; Light Heavyweight
- Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva; Women's Flyweight
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera; Bantamweight
- Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder; Women’s Strawweight
- Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom; Featherweight
Preliminary card
- Thiago Moises vs. Alexander Hernandez; Lightweight
- Sabina Mazo vs. Alexis Davis; Women's Bantamweight
- William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield; Light Heavyweight
- Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence; Bantamweight
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Maxim Grishin; Light Heavyweight