A heavyweight showdown between Sergej Pavlovich and Jairinzo Rozenstruik is scheduled for the return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Saudi Arabia early next year.
Following initial reports from MMA Mania, multiple media outlets confirmed the booking. UFC Saudi Arabia will be held at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on February 1, marking the Las Vegas-based promotion’s second trip to the Middle Eastern country. This card doesn’t have a main event yet.
Pavlovic will be aiming to end his first two-game losing streak since becoming a pro. The 32-year-old Russian last competed in the UFC on ABC 6, dropping a unanimous verdict against former training partner Alexander Volkov at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The setback came on the heels of a 69-second knockout loss to Tom Aspinall in their interim heavyweight title bout at UFC 295 last November. Before that skid, Pavlovic had finished his UFC opponent within a round six times in a row.
Rozenstryk will be making his 15th Octagon appearance when he faces Pavlovic. “Bigi Boy” is 2-0 so far in 2024, with a fourth-round TKO win over Shamil Gadzhiev and a split decision win over Tai Tuivasa. Rozenstryk is 9-5 during his time in the promotion, with notable wins over Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andre Arlovski.
