Former UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik signs with PFL
Former UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik has signed with the Professional Fighters League, adding another established name to the promotion’s heavyweight group. Danny Podolsky first reported the news. Rozenstruik has yet to announce his PFL debut date, opponent or whether he will enter the promotion’s regular heavyweight format or compete in a standalone bout.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik In the PFL
Rozenstruik, 38, left the UFC in February 2025 after a unanimous-decision defeat to Sergei Pavlovich in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pavlovich controlled much of the three-round contest and earned the judges’ scorecards at UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov on February 1. The UFC released Rozenstruik two days later.
The Surinamese heavyweight ended his UFC run with a 9-6 record across 15 appearances. He joined the promotion in 2019 and quickly made an impact, producing knockout wins over Junior Albini, Allen Crowder and Andrei Arlovski before his late stoppage of Alistair Overeem in December 2019. Rozenstruik trailed on the scorecards against Overeem before landing a final burst of punches in the closing seconds of round five.
“Bigi Boy” headlined six UFC events during a six-year spell with the company. Those main-event appearances included bouts with Overeem, Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane, Augusto Sakai, Jailton Almeida and Shamil Gaziev. His win over Gaziev in March 2024 came via fourth-round TKO after the doctor stopped the fight between rounds, placing Rozenstruik back in the heavyweight conversation.
His UFC losses came against Ngannou, Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov, Almeida and Pavlovich. Even so, his release drew attention because he had entered the Pavlovich fight off wins over Gaziev and Tai Tuivasa, with the Tuivasa result a split decision. Rozenstruik’s MMA record stands at 15-6, and 13 of his 15 victories have come by knockout.
After departing the UFC, Rozenstruik competed twice for Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing Championship. He stopped Victor Cardoso in his June 2025 debut, then defeated Rakim Cleveland by TKO in August to win the inaugural DBX heavyweight title. His PFL deal now brings him back to MMA competition, where he has long been one of the division’s most experienced finishers.
The signing gives PFL another heavyweight with a proven record against major UFC competition. Rozenstruik has shared the cage with former champions, title challengers and ranked contenders, while his history of late finishes means any future matchup will carry a real chance of a quick ending.
