Rozenstruik v Almeida UFC preview & best bets – May 13, 2023

A pair of hopeful heavyweight contenders will line up for the UFC Fight Night main event at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte this Saturday night. Jailton Almeida is on an unstoppable winning run and seems destined to wear heavyweight gold, while Jairzinho Rozenstruik desperately needs a win to maintain his top-10 ranking. Read on to see our predictions and best bets.

Rozenstruik v Almeida main event preview

Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Jailton Almeida

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-4-0) is a former kickboxer who is currently ranked ninth in the UFC 265-pound division. He has endured a rough patch in recent times and has a 3-4 record since May 2020. Rozenstruik has lined up against some of the division’s top talent with losses to Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, and Curtis Blaydes. His recent wins have been over lesser names in Augusto Sakai and Chris Daukaus.

Rozenstruik’s professional record boasts a single decision victory, and a lack of patience inside the ring has led to his undoing on more than one occasion. Most of his wins have come via first-round knockout, but rushing into heavy fire is a strategy fraught with danger when facing fellow hard-hitters. Rozenstruik also lacks a solid ground game, which may get exposed here against a submission specialist with a black belt in BJJ.

Jailton Almeida (18-2-0) enters this bout on a 13-fight win streak that has earned him a ranking inside the top 15. The Brazilian made his UFC debut in February 2022 against Danilo Marques, who he finished within three minutes of action. He then destroyed his subsequent three UFC opponents via either first- or second-round stoppage. While Almeida has been brought through the grades slowly and is yet to face a credible, ranked opponent, his recent performances could not have been more impressive.

Almeida combines heavy standup strikes with a complete ground game. His record contains seven wins via knockout and 11 via submission, and many MMA fans have him tipped as a likely contender to the heavyweight throne. At 31 years of age, he is now in his prime, and another win will see him secure a top-eight ranking. From that position, Almeida is probably only a single win away from a title shot if other results fall his way.

Rozenstruik v Almeida betting prediction

Betting sites are expecting a one-sided contest given Almeida’s more complete skillset. Rozenstruik’s best chance will be to catch his opponent during an early exchange and score a quick stoppage. We are expecting Almeida to make Rozenstruik miss, complete a takedown, and then dominate the kickboxer on the mat with repeated submission attempts.

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