UFC Charlotte: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida Main Event Predictions

UFC CHARLOTTE: ROZENSTRUIK VS. ALEMEIDA MAIN EVENT PREDICTIONS – The heavyweight division is going through an overhaul with Jon Jones now at the top of the division and Francis Ngannou’s departure from the company. There seems to be a prime position for a newcomer to stamp his arrival to the top of the division and we may see that this weekend.

Jarizinho Rozenstruik looks to put his first winning streak together since 2019 and deliver on another highlight reel knockout.

Feared prospect Jailton Almeida gets his first main event slot and hopes to finally garner the respect of the masses and unbind himself from the title “prospect” and turn into a “contender”.

Will the knockout power of the Surinamese fighter come through for him again? Or will the Brazilian powerhouse add the biggest name to his win column? Read on to find out how these destructive forces matchup and the best way to tackle it from a betting perspective.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

After starting his career off on a scorching four fight winning streak where he finished all of his opponents, including a last second main event knockout over Alistair Overeem, Rozenstruik has been unable to find his footing.

He is now 3-4 since beating Overeem, unable to get a streak going of any kind. He is heavily reliant on his knockout power and we’ve seen if he can’t get it done with his power, he will likely lose a decision.

We can give him the benefit of the doubt considering his losses have come to Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, and Alexander Volkov. Some of the top heavyweights the division has ever seen.

The Strike King

Rozenstruik initially came from a striking background that he was able to implement very easily to the MMA world, especially at this heavyweight division.

He is a little too patient at times, letting fights pass him by, but when you have that one-punch, fight-changing power, I understand. However, he has come to find out that the style will be nullified against the top heavyweights who have a way around his power.

Whether it’s with clean footwork, output, and volume or a grapple-heavy approach where he can’t get his power off, there are ways to beat this devastating puncher.

Jailton Almeida

I think the last time we had a prospect with this much hype and fear attached to his name was when Khamzat Chimaev was cleaning house.

Given the lack of people willing to step up and fight Almeida, he decided to move up to heavyweight so he can stay ready at any time to accept a fight.

He has still had fights fall through but now it seems like he is getting to the point where no one can turn him down and a win this weekend could stamp that. It has been over five years and 14 fights since Almeida faced defeat. He seems to have rounded out his game well enough to make a push to the top of the division at his prime age of 31.

The Mat

At his best, Almeida is able to ground his opponent within 30 seconds of the fight starting and do work from on top. Whether that is finding submission opportunities or ground and pounding his opponent, Almeida is a very dangerous fighter to have on top of you.

He has a very powerful and strong frame for heavyweight where he can exploit his speed and knockout power advantage on the feet while dominating opponents on the mat with his crushing top pressure.

The big question mark is how he will fare against someone who can push him into deep waters. I don’t know at what point we will find that out, but I don’t think it will be this weekend.

The Pick

I’m not sure if I know anyone that is picking Rozenstruik with conviction. It’s obvious he will struggle to keep this fight upright, even with the threat of his big knockout power.

Almeida should be able to get this fight to the ground with ease and do immediate work from on top. Whether it’s by submission or TKO, I believe Almeida can put Rozenstruik into a compromising position by the halfway point of the fight and find the finish. The best way to attack this fight is the under and Almeida to get it done swiftly. That’s what I’ll be banking on.

Under 1.5 -200 & Almeida in R1 +100