Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Dominates Tai Tuivasa at UFC 305

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Justin Barrasso | Last updated Aug 17, 2024 11:43 PM ET

Jairzinho Rozenstruik stuck to a disciplined game, firing quickly enough to outland Tai Tuivasa–and ultimately defeat him.

Surprisingly, this went the distance. Tuivasa was never able to land a hammering blow, instead getting punched repeatedly–and kept at length by Rozenstruik. Even more surprisingly, despite controlling the fight, this was a split decision victory. One of the judges scored this fight, 30-27, in Tuivasa’s favor, which is hard to fathom.

Possibly the worst scorecard of all time. pic.twitter.com/7T3Rc7EEcL
— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) August 18, 2024

Neither fighter landed with much consistency in the opening round, though Rozenstruik certainly did more in the first five minutes. Tuivasa had a much better second round, but Rozenstruik continued to land more shots. The third also belonged to Rozenstruik, who executed his game plan to near perfection.

The victory marks two in a row for Rozenstruik (15-5). At 36, he takes another step closer to a ranking in the top ten. However, it is a damaging loss Tuivasa (14-8). He has now dropped five in a row. While it is unlikely he will cut, the losing streak puts Tuivasa in a very unfavorable position.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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