“UFC veteran Jairzinho Rozenstruik finds new MMA home, books debut,” MMA Junkie wrote on X on Wednesday, and for once the headline tells you basically everything.
The new home is Fight Nation Championship, a European promotion. FNC officials announced the signing Tuesday, along with the date. Rozenstruik debuts at FNC 37 on Feb. 6 in Munich, Germany, at the SAP Garden, according to MiddleEasy. No opponent has been named yet.
Rozenstruik (15-6) hasn’t fought in MMA since Feb. 1, 2025, when he lost to Sergei Pavlovich. The UFC released him after that one, closing out a run of 13 appearances with the promotion. He sits at No. 29 in the Knockout Daily heavyweight rankings and trains out of American Top Team.
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He didn’t exactly sit at home in the meantime. Rozenstruik fought twice under the Dirty Boxing banner after the UFC cut him loose, and he’s listed as the current Dirty Boxing heavyweight champion. So he’s been punching people for money the whole time, just without the takedowns.
The UFC run had real peaks. He debuted in February 2019 as a short-notice replacement against Júnior Albini and stopped him in Round 2. Then came a knockout of Allen Crowder that still ranks as the second fastest in UFC heavyweight history, followed by first-round knockouts of Andrei Arlovski and a fifth-round finish of Alistair Overeem at UFC on ESPN 7. He added a second-round TKO of Junior dos Santos at UFC 252 in August 2020.
The ceiling showed up, too. Francis Ngannou knocked him out 20 seconds into their fight at UFC 249 in May 2020, and Ciryl Gane outpointed him over five rounds in February 2021.
The power has never been the question. Before MMA, the Paramaribo native went 76-9 in kickboxing with 64 knockouts, and he was a WLF Super Heavyweight Tournament champion. A guy with that résumé doesn’t need much time to make a highlight in a new cage, and a European promotion just bought a heavyweight with name value and a reputation for ending fights early.
The matchmaking is what matters now. FNC hasn’t said who stands across from him in Munich, and the right booking (a durable regional heavyweight who wants to swing) could make that card worth staying up for. FNC 37 goes Feb. 6 at the SAP Garden.
