The @ufc heavyweight division needs to move on@danawhite https://t.co/PBNrqt0ncC
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 22, 2020
Let’s make the heavyweight division interesting again! @ufc #UFC249 https://t.co/YmfpvzrY7p
— Jairzinho ‘BIGI BOY’ Rozenstruik (@JairRozenstruik) April 22, 2020
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has no interest in an interim heavyweight title at this time.
This month, both Francis Ngannou (14-3) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-0), who are scheduled to clash at UFC 249 in May, spoke with MMA Junkie about their meeting being a potential title fight. Rozenstruik first brought up the issue a week before, with the firm belief that the division needs to “move forward.”
“I think the heavyweight division needs that,” Rozenstruik stated. “It’s kind of slowed down with the Stipe and Cormier fight, and we don’t know when the champ is going to return. So for now, put in an interim belt. I think the heavyweight [division] needs it to move forward.”
Rozenstruik asked simply, “What’s better than to fight for a title in a big match?” He continued, “It’s already a big match, and if you put in the [interim] title, it’s going to be more interesting for both of us. But for now, it’s still the same: It’s a fight. I want it really bad, and when it happens, I’ll be in the best shape ever.”
Speaking to MMA Fighting on Thursday, Ngannou further expanded on his opponent’s thoughts on championship opportunities. According to the former heavyweight title challenger, the promotion nixed his suggestion.
He stated, “As I said, I requested that, but there was no interest. So why wouldn’t I be down for that since I asked for it? I think the division should move on.”
Ngannou’s frustration stems from the lack of movement in the top of the UFC heavyweight division’s title picture. At UFC 226 in 2018, Daniel Cormier wrested the title from Stipe Miocic by first-round knockout. Over one year later, Miocic exacted revenge by stopping Cormier in the fourth round, becoming the first fighter to finish the former two-division champ. The rematch taking place in August 2019, a rubber match between the two has been discussed but neither have agreed to any fight.
Ngannou and Rozenstruik were originally set to square off atop the UFC on ESPN 8 card on March 28, but the event scheduled for Portland, Oregon, was scratched due to the coronavirus. They were later planning on facing one another on April 18, but that too was taken off the table by Covid-19.
Since dropping a decision to Miocic in 2018 and a confusing decision to Derrick Lewis a few months later, “The Predator” has looked nothing short of sensational. In a combined 2:22, Ngannou has leveled Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos in the span of about seven months. The Frenchman born in Cameroon currently sports a 100 percent finish rate.
Rozenstruik has yet to taste defeat as a professional, although he was very close to losing a decision to Alistair Overeem in December. Down on the scorecards with four seconds left on the clock, “Bigi Boy” demolished Overeem with a thunderous right hand that stamped his massive comeback and split Overeem’s lip wide open. Nine of the ten wins on the Suriname kickboxer’s record have come by knockout, with his lone decision over Andrey Kovalev at Rizin 10 in 2018.
The two will meet at UFC 249 on May 9, which will reportedly take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Headlining the event is an interim lightweight title clash between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, while Henry Cejudo will defend his bantamweight throne against former king Dominick Cruz.