UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik v Gane Preview, Odds & Prediction

The UFC is witnessing one of its most important eras in the heavyweight division right now with Stipe Miocic set to face Francis Ngannou once again next month not long after Derrick Lewis defeated Curtis Blaydes, just as rising star Tom Aspinall submitted former champion, Andrei Arlovski.

After Lewis moved up to second in the rankings as Jairzinho Rozenstruik moved down to fourth, the Suriname representative now has arguably the biggest bout of his life this weekend against the devastating Cyril Gane.

We take a look at the Rozenstruik v Gane odds and our prediction for this gargantuan heavyweight bout.

Every now and then the heavyweight division gets a spanner in the works and sooner rather than later, this spanner becomes a hammer and obliterates every man in his way, e.g, Ngannou. In recent times, MMA has witnessed a similar figure in the form of Gane, who made his debut in the sport just three years ago and after just four bouts in the UFC, the Frenchman has a magnificent 4-0 record and a 7-0 résumé overall.

What makes all this more extraordinary is despite being 6ft 6 and weighing 245 lbs in his last bought, Gane has three submissions, three TKO/KO wins and one decision win, proving that he is more than just a wrecking ball and a skillfully astute competitor.

Within this streak, the 30-year-old grappled with the unbeaten jiu-jitsu specialist, Raphael Pessoa, to force the tap on the Brazilian via an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Gane would then meet Don'Tale Mayes, who, after an exceptional boxing display from his opponent, succumbed to a sensational heel hook submission through another excellent grappling transition from "Bon Gamin" after a flurry of stand-up shots.

A decision win against Tanner Boser would follow following three rounds of excellent boxing from the unbeaten French kickboxer, as he delivered snappy one-two combinations all night, with Boser trying to apply the pressure, but was met with versatile strikes from Gane.

As one of just six French fighters in the UFC, the Paris representative really established himself as a true contender by defeating the legendary Junior dos Santos via elbows in round two after more brilliant work in the kickboxing department by hacking at the Brazilian's legs and starting off the finish with a devastating jab.

Gane is a phenom. He's been in the sport for pretty much the same amount of time that Miocic has held the belt for, but has registered wins in every department. The Frenchman is a talent that hasn't just risen with physical superiority, but with skill and technique to beat threatening figures in the division.

Truthfully, he is one of the least talked about prospects on the roster, which likely has something to do with the fact Ngannou and the Miocic-Cormier rivalry have taken the limelight and how Gane is not exactly young at 30 years old. However, we expect him to defeat another contender in Rozenstruik and rocket himself into the title talk.

The manner in which the number seven ranked fighter has accumulated his wins makes this an intriguing bout throughout, but with a superior reach and height and such a wide range of kickboxing skills, we believe "Bon Gamin" will get this done via TKO/KO.

Whilst Gane has only been in the sport for a few years and continues to learn as he goes along, Rozenstruik is vastly experienced in the fight game, despite his MMA record only spanning 12 fights. Outside of his 11 wins and one defeat, "Bigi Boy" has one of the best kickboxing records on the roster with 76 wins and just eight defeats across 85 bouts, and 64 of these victories came via knockout.

Rozenstruik is still regarded as one of the main threats in this heavyweight division which makes this battle a must-win for the Suriname fighter, given how he was obliterated by title contender Ngannou in 20 seconds back in May last year.

This did knock the legendary kickboxer down a peg or two in both the rankings and the quest for heavyweight gold, but after another solid display against dos Santos, Rozenstruik dispatched of the Brazilian with an overhand right to knock him down before a barrage blows on the ground. Whilst this fight was against a clearly 'past it' dos Santos, it once again proved that "Bigi Boy" can shut the fight off in seconds.

In fact, no other fight argues this more than Rozenstruik's win over the legendary Alistair Overeem, where the 32-year-old was 4-0 down on most watchers' fight cards, only to knock out the Dutchman in the final four seconds of the bout. It truly was an exceptional moment in UFC history and the career of Rozenstruik, but it this fight also showed the vulnerabilities of him in the grappling game and in his speed, which only emphasises his need for a knockout in this bout with Gane.

Speaking of which, the Suriname representative boasts a TKO/KO in 91% of his 11 wins, with just the one other victory coming via a decision over Andrey Kovalev back in his Rizin days. So, it goes without saying, if the kickboxing specialist is to win, it's likely to be a TKO/KO, because if Gane can get him to the ground, his excellence in submissions will spark fear for the Rozenstruik faithful immediately.

This bout can either keep Rozenstruik in title contention or throw Gane into the mix instead, and we believe the latter will happen.