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Jairzinho Rozenstruik has made it quite clear that he wants the former Heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou on his way towards Championship.
Ahead of his UFC on ESPN 7 headliner bout against Alistair Overeem, the 31-year-old Surinamese fighter voiced his wish to fight 'The Predator' at Ariel Helwani's MMA Show. On Wednesday at the open workouts, he told MMA Junkie why he thinks the fight will suit his path he has mapped towards the title.
Rozenstruik: I'm the other boogeyman of the division
The name of Francis Ngannou usually incites fear and intimidation among fighters, but Rozenstruik is not one of them. For him, Ngannou is just another fighter whom he wants to fight in the Octagon - and put up a show for the crowd.
The 'scary guy' tag that Ngannou wears does not scare Ruzenstruik even a little bit.
"It would be a nice fight. He’s the scary guy of the division – the boogeyman. (I’m) the other boogeyman of the division. You want to create a bomb in the octagon? Put me in against him and lock the doors. The UFC fans will enjoy it."
When asked if he thinks Ngannou will accept the challenge, Rozenstruik said that he should "if he's smart".
"If he’s smart, he’ll take the fight. If not, it’s his fault. I think I can make him better because I’m a better fighter in the end. So if it was me, I’d take the fight."
In any case, before he can lay his hands on Ngannou or any other fighter of the division, he has to first beat Overeem, which is not an easy task. But as always, Rozenstruik is confident about taking him down.
"Everybody can say you hit hard. I hit hard. But if you can’t hit accurate, you’re going to miss. So the thing is to find the chin and put him down. As soon as that happens, you’re going to see the result."
The fight will take place at UFC on ESPN 7 at Capital One Area in Washington D.C. on Saturday, December 7.
