Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov is on the decline and must prove his worth to the main promotion of the world. The key for Drago in the UFC may be the fight with Surinamese Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which will take place on June 4 in Las Vegas.

Volkov’s rival boasts both a bright career and a very unbanal biography. He got into fights after a fight on the football field, began a serious career after a prison term, and pulled out a lucky ticket thanks to performances … in Russia.

The local public urged to “wet” the Surinamese, in response he confessed his love.

From football to Draki

In the main fight of the UFC Fight Night tournament, which will take place on June 4 in Las Vegas, Alexander Volkov will meet Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The Russian largely relies on striking technique, he is not averse to sorting out the relationship in the standing position and his opponent. The Surinamese fighter has been playing kickboxing for a long time – in this type of martial arts he had more than eight dozen fights. Is it any wonder that almost all Big Boy’s early victories were achieved by knockout?

Curtis Blaydes (left) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (right) / Photo: © Jeff Bottari / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Rozenstruik started kickboxing far from an early age. At first he mastered basketball and football, attending these two sections in parallel. Only at the age of 17, Jairzinho was advised to plunge into the world of martial arts. The Surinamese showed himself in a fight on the football field, after which, apparently, he decided that he was much more interested in beating up live opponents than hitting a soulless ball.

In the ring, Bigi Boy beat his opponents quite successfully: 76 wins in 85 fights, 64 knockouts. In 2011, the Surinamese became interested in mixed martial arts, and a year later he had his first fight under the new rules. It is curious that Vladivostok, far from his homeland, became the starting point for the career of the South American fighter. There he made his debut in the tournament under the uncomplicated name Draka.

random find

— In 2001, my friend, a military adviser at the US Embassy in Thailand, and I opened the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA club in Bangkok. There were many acquaintances. At some point, people from the Far East came to me. They just had problems finding fighters. And it so happened that at some point they were looking for ways to Viktor Kuku, and Kuku and Rozenstruik had one coach and promoter, ”Match TV quoted athlete Alexander Berezovik as saying.

Thus, the current eighth number of the UFC heavyweight rating has become an accidental find for the organizers of the tournament in Russia. The first rival of the foreign noname, as it might seem to someone at that moment, was the champion of Ukraine in combat sambo Evgeny Boldyrev. The Ukrainian did not last long in the battle with a mysterious opponent – 2 minutes 36 seconds. Jairzinho found an opportunity for a smashing blow and knocked out the opponent.

Rozenstruik’s debut fight in MMA took place in May 2012, and in November the fighter was waiting for the second fight. Curiously, again in Russia and again against the Ukrainian Boldyrev. Only this time, another numbered Draka tournament was held in Khabarovsk.

“I love you!”

As befits a favorite, Bigi Boy came out second in the rematch. Boldyrev was already warming up in the ring, and the Surinamese fighter was slowly approaching the battlefield in the company of drummers. The Khabarovsk audience greeted the guest from afar with applause. However, already in the first seconds of the battle, exclamations of “piss him!” were heard from the stands. They were addressed, judging by the context, to a Ukrainian, who was unable to “dunk” his counterpart.

Rozenstruik was not going to stretch the pleasure, having already shown at the start that he would hit carefully, but strongly. However, the Ukrainian blocked the middle kick, and then he himself tried to counterattack. The fighters exchanged blows, one hit Big Boy in the head. The Surinamese obviously did not like this start, he slightly increased the distance, deciding to work on the opponent’s hips.

Photo: © Jeff Bottari / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

Boldyrev, realizing that nothing terrible is happening yet, grew bolder and performed a successful pass to the legs. True, for some reason the Ukrainian did not want to move to the stalls. He waited for his opponent to return to the stance, perhaps intending to return the debt to the Surinamese in the same coin.

The native of Combat Sambo failed to send Rozenstruik to a knockout. Jairzinho again held a series – another middle kick was blocked, but punches to Eugene’s head reached the goal. Supported by the audience, the Ukrainian fighter collapsed onto the floor, this time surviving only 2 minutes 5 seconds.

After the end of the fight, the Khabarovsk audience paid tribute to the foreign guest, again rewarding the winner with applause. Rozenstruik was awarded a gold medal, and then invited to the microphone. The fighter began his speech with a declaration of love for the Far Eastern city in English, and then said “thank you” in Russian. Taking a break for linguistic consultations, he told the audience something similar to “I love you.”

One would assume that after these words of love, Rozenstruik would try his hand at one of the more popular Russian organizations. But the Surinamese fighter chose a different path, disappearing from mixed martial arts for five years.

After a number of fights under the rules of kickboxing, and after serving time in prison due to problems with drugs that were never found in him, Jairzinho returned to MMA. Two years after resuming his career, he managed to get to the UFC. He no longer went to Russia, but now Russia, represented by Alexander Volkov, will itself overtake him in Las Vegas.