Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev
February 29, 2024
On Saturday, March 2 at 1:30 PM EST, the UFC returns to the Apex in Las Vegas to present UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev. Originally, this date was booked for the promotion’s debut in Saudi Arabia. However, Saudi Arabia desired a much deeper, more high-profile card than what was being offered (despite Dana White’s denial of this), so this show was moved to the Apex.
Let’s take a look at the card that Saudi Arabia didn’t want…
Main Card 4 PM EST (ESPN+)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro
Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan
Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg
Preliminary Card 1:30 PM EST (ESPN+)
Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
Vinicius Oliveira vs. Bernardo Sopaj
Aiemann Zahabi vs. Javid Basharat
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Cláudio Ribeiro
Ľudovít Klein vs. AJ Cunningham
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Loik Radzhabov
There is certainly a lack of name power here, which goes to show why Saudi Arabia would have liked a different show. Therefore, I expect only the hardcore fans to plan their day around this show with others checking it out when they can or if something cool pops up on their timelines. However, like any fight show - don’t sleep on it. You never know…these fights could end up being a lot of fun.
Let’s talk about some things about this card…
Injuries and Changes
While big names were never scheduled for this show, the card also wasn’t helped by injuries and changes. I was really looking forward to Josefine Lindgren Knutsson taking on Julia Polastri. Knutsson is 7-0 and has shown a lot of toughness in her fights. She had to pull out due to injury, though, and Polastri is already rescheduled to fight Stephanie Luciano later in March. Among the other changes were Brendon Marotte pulling out of his fight against Mohammad Yahya, which could have been a fun fight, and AJ Cunningham replacing Joel Alvarez against L’udovit Klein.
Rosas vs. Turcios
Dana White made it pretty clear at the press conference after Moreno vs. Royval 2 that Rosas vs. Turcios would be rescheduled to this card at a catchweight. However, Turcios was the only person refuting it. As it turns out, the fight will not be happening this weekend, either, and it is now in doubt. Rosas is young (19) and tough, so he is someone that the UFC would probably like to get behind. However, his early UFC days have not been going smoothly. It’ll be interesting to see what the UFC does with this fight or if they just move on from it.
The Prelims
As I always say, don’t sleep on the Prelims! I have to be honest with you, I’m not super familiar with some of these fighters, but I am looking forward to getting some guys on my radar. There are some fun names on the Prelims, though - Christian Leroy Duncan and Javid Basharat, especially. I am very interested in Bernardo Sopaj, who will be making his UFC debut on short notice. Also, Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett will be the featured fight of the Prelims and both men tend to go for it.
Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erceg
This has the potential to be a lot of fun. Schnell hasn’t fought since late 2022, so he will be looking to get back on track. He tends to put on a show and will be a tough test for Steve Erceg, who is coming into the fight on a 10 fight win streak. Erceg looked good in his first two UFC fights, but he may be looking to get his first finish in the company this weekend. Both fighters have Performance of the Nights under their belts, so I am definitely looking forward to this one.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan
What a way to make your UFC debut - on short notice against Umar Nurmagomedov. Wow! Almakhan seems game to try and make a name for himself against Umar. However, considering the circumstances, Umar is (as of this writing) a -1700 favorite. At 16-0, he has a big push in the rankings possibly coming…if he can continue to find opponents. Apparently, no one wants to face Umar, which makes Almakhan taking the fight even more impressive. I expect Umar to put on a show, but I’m also pulling for Almakhan to impress. I love an underdog story.
Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Mokaev believes that, with a win, he deserves to be considered for a title shot. The Flyweight Division is definitely open enough for him to jump up the rankings, but a title shot might be tough. He’ll probably need, at least, one more fight - possibly two - to get there. However, with an impressive victory on Saturday, his case will be stronger and it seems like Alexandre Pantoja, the current champion, is open to the idea. I don’t expect Alex Perez to make it easy for Mokaev. Perez returns after a year and a half (and has had only one fight since 2020). Despite the time away, Perez is always ready to throw down. This fight should be a lot of fun!
Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro
Petrino will be attempting to protect his perfect record and go 11-0 against a very tough Tyson Pedro. Petrino has been impressive, but Pedro will never go down without a fight. This is a rock solid co-main event for a lower tier Apex card.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
Gaziev is 12-0 and has only gone to a decision once. He has 8 KOs and 3 submissions. He has impressed the UFC, as he is already main eventing a card after just two fights in the company - one of them being on Dana White’s Contender Series. He definitely has a rocket strapped to him. Rozenstruik will try to mess up the rocket’s take off, though, and get back on track. After starting 10-0 in his career, Rozenstruik has gone 3-5 and has lost to guys that the UFC ended up backing in their rankings climb. If Rozenstruik wants to get back in contention, he’ll have to take care of Gaziev here.
Even though Saudi Arabia didn’t want this card, there is enough on it to have me interested. I may start it later in the day rather than watching live, but I’ll be curious to see how certain surging fighters fare against guys who are looking to get an important win.
For fun, here are my picks…
Main Card 4 PM EST (ESPN+)
Shamil Gaziev
Vitor Petrino
Muhammad Mokaev
Umar Nurmagomedov
Steve Erceg
Preliminary Card 1:30 PM EST (ESPN+)
Eryk Anders
Bernardo Sopaj
Javid Basharat
Christian Leroy Duncan
Ľudovít Klein
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Do you plan to watch UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev? If so, let me know what you are looking forward to at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back early next week to give my thoughts on the show. Then, later in the week, I plan to talk about the big UFC 299 card that will be taking place next weekend. See you then!
