Heavyweight headliners are back on the menu for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2024.
Ahead of UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2, an event famously moved from Saudi Arabia to Las Vegas due to a perceived lack of star power, a top matchup was on the docket between Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-5) and Shamil Gaziev (12-0). The show did not have a main attraction Thursday when Eurosport NL reported that this heavyweight contest had been elevated to the main event. The promotion confirmed this booking would be on the top marquee on Friday.
Rozenstruik has struggled the last couple years, only managing one win—a 23-second knockout of Chris Daukaus—while suffering three defeats to Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov, and most recently, Jailton Almeida. Despite his setbacks, “Bigi Boy” still sports a sky-high knockout rate of 92%, and he is on the heavyweight knockout leaderboard tied in the top 10 with several other men with seven to his credit.
Born in Dagestan, Russia, and currently representing Bahrain, Gaziev has yet to suffer a loss as a pro. This appearance will be only his second under the UFC banner, as he made his triumphant debut in December by laying waste to Martin Buday in under six minutes. Like his opponent, Gaziev has earned all but one of his victories by stoppage, with all 11 finishes coming within two rounds.
UFC Fight Night 238 goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 2, with Rozenstruik-Gaziev in the pole position. Other key pairings include a flyweight clash between Alex Perez and Muhammad Mokaev, a light heavyweight collision of Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro and a lightweight affair as Joel Alvarez takes on Ludovit Klein.
More must-reads: