Jairzinho Rozenstruik signs with FNC, books February debut
The former UFC heavyweight is scheduled to make his first appearance for the Croatian promotion in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 6.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has found a new home in MMA after signing with Fight Nation Championship (FNC). The former UFC heavyweight is scheduled to make his promotional debut at FNC 37 on Feb. 6 in Munich, Germany, although no opponent has been announced for the event.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik set for FNC debut
FNC announced Rozenstruik's signing on Tuesday, confirming that the Surinamese fighter will return to MMA competition in February. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it remains unclear whether the agreement is exclusive to FNC.
Rozenstruik arrived in the UFC undefeated in 2019 and quickly made a good impression. In his first year in the promotion, the Surinamese won all four of his fights, finishing all four of his opponents, including Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem. However, things changed the following year after Rozenstruik suffered his first career defeat when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou.
Since that setback, the Surinamese has seen ups and downs during his UFC run. Although Rozenstruik still managed to defeat notable heavyweights in the following years, such as Junior dos Santos, Shamil Gaziev and Tai Tuivasa, he also struggled inside the Octagon, suffering losses to Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida.
Rozenstruik parted ways with the UFC in early 2025 following a unanimous decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich in February. The 38-year-old made 15 appearances in the promotion and holds a 15-6 professional record.
Since leaving the UFC, Rozenstruik has competed twice under the Dirty Boxing banner, winning both of his fights. In fact, the Surinamese won the inaugural Dirty Boxing heavyweight title in August 2025 after defeating Rakim Cleveland by TKO.
Following his successful run at Dirty Boxing, it was announced in August that Rozenstruik had signed with the PFL, although the promotion never set a specific debut date or opponent for him. In a sudden change of plans, the Surinamese signed with FNC instead, without making his PFL debut.
Rozenstruik's FNC debut in February 2027 will mark his return to MMA competition after more than two years away. The organization has yet to announce an opponent for his first fight under the FNC banner.
