UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROZENSTRUIK vs. SAKAI

Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeated Augusto Sakai via first-round TKO

Jairzinho Rozenstruik:

My last fight was terrible. It was my worst performance. I’ve been working more on movement—boxing more and moving more. Tonight, it came out. Even the punch I rocked him with was a punch I’d been working one for three weeks. It came out and I’m happy.

I was happy I could fight right away again. With a bad taste in your mouth when you lose a fight and get a chance to get right back at it, it was great. I’m proud of that.

I saw a couple fights of his and he doesn’t like to fight backwards. So me chasing him was something new for him. He doesn’t like it.

This is going to put me right back on the map. This is what people wanted to see. I’m going to look for a quick turnaround. In two or three months, whoever is ready—I’m here. I want to fight somebody that is above me. It’s a short list, but I’m ready. I want to put myself back in title contention.

Marcin Tybura defeated Walt Harris via first-round TKO

Marcin Tybura:

People ask me if there’s a secret to it. There isn’t. I made some adjustments in the gym. I did my mental work, my breathing exercises—everything comes together. I’m trying harder than others. That pays off. That’s why I’m here.

That was a brawl. I think people liked it and I will receive good fights after it. I would like a main event with a top five fighter.

I didn’t get to show everything. When he put in everything he had, I knew he didn’t have anything else. I knew I would finish the fight.

When I started making changes, I started building confidence about fighting the top fighters in the world. Right now I feel I’m on the way to doing that. I’m a patient guy and know I need to build more skills, but I will get there.

Roman Dolidze defeated Laureano Staropoli via unanimous decision

Roman Dolidze:

I knew that he is a good striker. I didn’t want to have something land on my face, because my family is coming to Vegas and I didn’t want to have damage on my face. That’s why I kept it easy for me.

I tried to play it smart. I knew what he can do and what he had. For me, it was about the game plan.

I’m happy I won the fight, but to put on a show it’s better to strike more. Next time.

Santiago Ponzinibbio defeated Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision

Santiago Ponzinibbio:

I feel so good. After 26 months I came back and took the worst loss of my career. I could have beaten this guy. The guy didn’t beat me in 15 minutes. It was just a lucky punch. That was very tough. Today, I had to work with all these feelings. My first round was to figure out who I am. It was a little slow. The second and third round I came on strong. That was the real Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Miguel is so tough. Maybe he isn’t a big name, but this is the challenge the UFC gave me. I know I can beat the best fighters in the world. I’m a fighter and I said I wanted to fight. They said they have this kid no one wants to fight. I said give me this fight. I’m going to beat this guy. Now I’ll take somebody in the top 10.

I showed to the world that he is a very tough guy.  I don’t care about the rankings. He is a very tough guy. I showed the world that I’m here and that I’m back. I am ready to take this belt. I need a couple more victories and to get back into the rankings. I’ve beaten ranked guys and put them to sleep. Everybody knows I had things in my life. Now I am back. I have the power to beat everyone. I’m looking for another fight soon. Hopefully I can to do two more this year. I think Vicente Luque is a great fight, or maybe the loser of Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns.

Gregory Rodrigues defeated Dusko Todorovic via unanimous decision

Gregory Rodrigues:

That’s a dream come true. It’s been a long journey and to get here means a lot to me because my parents gave everything for me to make this dream come true. There were a lot of people by my side working hard for me, especially my wife. I want to say thank you to all my team at Sanford MMA. You guys made me feel so good inside the Octagon to get this great victory. Dusko is a tough fighter. I’m happy to fight him. I like fighting humble guys. It was a good fight. I’m so happy to fight three rounds in the UFC and make my debut so great.

Dusko is a tough fighter with a good chin. He hits hard and took my counters. It was a great fight. It was more of a boxing fight, but I was ready for that. I got the victory. That’s most important.

100 percent of my focus was on this fight. I didn’t care what the UFC was going to offer me. I’m here to get this experience and build a solid foundation to grow. The middleweight division in the UFC has a lot of tough fighters. I’m just going to take my time and keep evolving.

Montana De La Rosa defeated Ariane Lipski via second-round TKO

Montana De La Rosa:

Right when I threw that first elbow I could see it in her eyes. I looked into her eyes and she was done after that. I just had to get back down to that same spot, but I wasn’t forcing the takedown.

After watching her fight with Antonina, I knew I was going to be able to dominate her on the ground, but I wasn’t going to force the takedown. I knew that after I threw a couple punches, she would try to come forward because she’s a pressure fighter and that I was going to solidify the takedown.

I just feel way more complete now and more confident. I’m always scared to get in there—every fighter is—but I’ve got to just keep pushing through that.

It feels great to get back to finishing. My first three UFC fights were finishes and then I had a bunch of long three-rounders. It didn’t feel right,