Rozenstruik vs Sakai betting picks – UFC Vegas 28 main event

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been putting out events with such regularity that last weekend’s Memorial Day break felt out of place, but the world’s leading MMA promotion returns this Saturday night as heavyweight contenders Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai clash in the main event of UFC Vegas 28. Let’s take a look the best bets on offer for Rozenstruik vs Sakai at United States‘s top UFC betting sites.

Rozenstruik vs Sakai UFC Vegas 28 main event preview

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-2-0) suffered the second loss of his professional career in February when Ciryl Gane defeated him by decision. Rozenstruik started his career off with a 10-0 record with nine knockout victories including a 4-0 record in the UFC before suffering his first loss to Francis Ngannou last May. He bounced back with a knockout win over Junior dos Santos in August but has now lost two of his last three bouts with the defeat to Gane.

Augusto Sakai (15-2-1) quickly climbed into the top 10 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings by going 4-0 through his first four fights with the promotion. His upwards trajectory took a hit in September, however, when he had a six-fight winning streak snapped with a knockout loss to the 40-year-old Alistair Overeem. Sakai could use a convincing win this Saturday to improve his stock coming off the loss to Overeem, especially with two of his last three wins (against Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski) coming by split decision.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Augusto Sakai betting predictions

There is no questioning the talent of these two heavyweights. Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s long and successful kickboxing career has helped him transition into an athletic, agile, and devastating striker in MMA, with all but one of his 11 career wins coming by knockout. Augusto Sakai has a strong chin and throws good combinations and knees to keep his opponents guessing on their feet.

The issue for both Rozenstruik and Sakai is that they don’t have a signature win in the UFC. Rozenstruik’s best wins have came against fighters past their prime in Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos, and Sakai’s best win over Blagoy Ivanov was good but not great. The winner of this fight won’t necessarily be picking up a signature win, but they will be bouncing back from a loss and earning another chance to prove themselves in their next bout. We lean towards Rozenstruik getting the win in this one, as Sakai’s willingness to stand in the middle of the octagon and trade blows should play right into the powerful kickboxer’s strengths.