Born: March 17, 1988 (Age: 35) in Paramaribo, Suriname
Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6’2”
Reach: 78”
Record: 13-4 (7-4 UFC)
Association: American Top Team
Stage of Career: Prime to Post-Prime
Summary:
Rozenstruik has one of the most fascinating styles in all of
MMA. Essentially, he looks mediocre in fights—right up to the
point where he knocks his opponent out. Rozenstruik is not
interested in scoring points or winning rounds. He simply probes
and waits to set up the perfect opportunity to throw a series of
murderous strikes for the stoppage. All of his punches are sound,
and most of them are powerful. His overhand right and tremendous
right hook are his most terrifying weapons. His left hook carries
the same power, but it often comes across as somewhat telegraphed
and slow. Rozenstruik can explode with punches whenever he sees an
opening, especially his unique left hook-into-overhand right
combination. He also features good cardio and retains his power
deep into bouts. Rozenstruik’s once-unbreakable chin may be eroding
with time and miles, as evidenced by his failed encounter with
Alexander
Volkov in 2022. He has no offensive grappling of which to
speak, looking instead to nullify and survive in those exchanges.
Due largely to his unique approach, Rozenstruik remains an
underrated but dangerous heavyweight contender.
STRIKING
• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Average.
• Jab: Stiff and straight. He utilizes it frequently.
• Cross: A technical, powerful shot that he throws particularly
well off the jab, especially since he is tricky and will
occasionally throw the jab by itself.
• Left Hook: While telegraphed and somewhat slow, it is powerful
and more than capable of delivering knockouts.
• Right Hook: He often uses it to try to get through a guard. It’s
fairly fast and accurate, with a tight arc and proper rotation,
although his hand is slightly hitched, with the hand too low
relative to the elbow. Rozenstruik can throw it with tremendous
power while running forward and off-balance, as he showed in his
violent knockout of
Alistair
Overeem.
• Overhand Right: Thrown with a tight arc, good rotation and true
one-punch knockout power.
• Uppercuts: Rarely throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Probes with solitary punches
but explodes with thunderous combinations if he senses an opening.
He also excels at throwing fast, powerful hooks to the body in
combination.
• Favorite Combination(s): The unusual three-four, which poses a
significant knockout threat.
• Leg Kicks: Surprisingly light for a former kickboxer, and he
throws them naked, although he does keep his hands up while doing
so and chooses the right time. Some of his roundhouse leg kicks do
not even see him turning his hips into the strike properly.
• Body Kicks: Features a nice teep, which is accurate if not
especially damaging.
• Head Kicks: Powerful.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Excels at firing a head kick after he
enjoys some success with punches, as he did twice against
Junior
Albini.
• Knees: Uses a forceful, well-timed jumping strike he seems to
fire instinctively when an opponent covers up.
Rozenstruik presents exceptional danger in the standup
department. It does not often feel this way, as he will only throw
significant strikes if he senses a real opening and opportunity to
get the knockout. Otherwise, he remains content to only throw a
probing jab or a leg kick. His jab is nice, but the leg kick is
shockingly weak for a former kickboxer. However, lulling others
into a false sense of security is part of the strategy, as
Rozenstruik can explode with lethal punches from either hand. He
puts together his punches effectively—he can even throw them while
going backwards, as he did in his knockout of Andrei
Arlovski—and has shown the ability to combine multiple punches
to the body. Defensively, Rozenstruik has flaws and
vulnerabilities: He tends to stay in place with his feet and lacks
head movement.
CLINCH
• Physical Strength: Decent.
• Technique: Average. He has improved in this area but still gets
taken down in close quarters, where his defense remains far from
optimal.
• Knees: Rarely throws them for fear they will result in his being
taken down.
• Elbows: Does not use them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Mediocre at best, as he is too
concerned with being taken down. He will gladly eat shots if it
means he can avoid the ground.
Like every other aspect of grappling, Rozenstruik seeks to avoid
the clinch. He will often willingly get hit with knees and elbows
so long as it means he can avoid being taken down. He has flaws in
his technique, which only leaves him vulnerable to
takedowns.
GRAPPLING
• Wrestling from a Shot: Non-existent.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Non-existent.
• Takedown Defense: Better than average. Rozenstruik can stuff bad
attempts, and he does battle for underhooks and frames opponents in
the clinch.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Substandard. He tries to hip escape
immediately but is often slow and awkward at finding the right
angle, relying on strength and athleticism instead of
technique.
• Submissions: Non-existent to this point.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: He has become at
least competent, and while he can be vulnerable to
ground-and-pound, he does control the biceps.
• Top control: Difficult to parse, as he only moves there when an
opponent is stunned.
• Ground-and-Pound: Unleashes solid but slightly wild punches and
the occasional hard elbow.
Rozenstruik has worked hard to improve his vulnerabilities in
the grappling phase. While they still exist, they are not as easy
to exploit as they once were. His above-average takedown defense
allows him to reliably stuff weak attempts. However, he struggles
to get back to his feet once his back hits the mat. Rozenstruik can
be hit with ground-and-pound, but he manages to control the biceps
and can decently defend against submissions. As a result, he can
lose a round after being taken down but usually lives to fight on.
On the rare occasions where he finds himself on top, Rozenstruik
carries respectable ground-and-pound of his own.
INTANGIBLES
• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Average in both areas. He
can look heavy and lumbering with his movement at times.
• Cardio: When he fights at a slower pace, he can go all five
rounds with little drop-off, as he proved against
Ciryl Gane.
When he fights more energetically, Rozenstruik can appear winded at
the midway point. Even so, he continues to throw thunderous strikes
while showing reasonable takedown defense.
• Chin: Once great, it could be in decline.
• Recuperative Powers: Suspect. During the few times where he
appeared visibly hurt, Rozenstruik wound up getting knocked
out.
• Intelligence: He has shown considerable improvement in his
grappling skills over the course of his UFC career. Rozenstruik
does not make any obvious tactical errors during his fights.
Additionally, it takes sufficiently high fight IQ to make his
unique style work.