Fight Coverage
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
We're Back In Charlotte With A Banger Of A Fight Card. Let's Break It Down.
For the first time in more than five years, the UFC returns to Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, bringing a stacked fight card headlined by a fascinating heavyweight tilt with them.
Airing on ABC with a midday start time, this is a “Brunch and Brawls” opportunity for fight fans and a card that is poised to deliver a ton of excitement before the dinner bell rings.
Several of the preliminary card pairings have explosive potential and Fight of the Night upside, while the main card is flush with can’t-miss matchups, culminating in a clash between a pair of ranked heavyweights looking to make a statement as they make the walk for the first time in 2023.
It should be an afternoon full of action in “The Queen City” and we’re here to set the table for what is set to transpire on Saturday.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik | Top Finishes
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Jairzinho Rozenstruik | Top Finishes
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Main Event: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Jailton Almeida
Location: Spectrum Center — Charlotte, North Carolina
Where to Watch: ABC / ESPN+
Other Main Card Matches:
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- Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker
- Daniel Rodriguez vs Ian Machado Garry
- Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill
- Tim Means vs Alex Morono
Prelim Matches:
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- Matt Brown vs Court McGee
- Karl Williams vs Chase Sherman
- Cody Stamann vs Douglas Silva
- Carlos Ulberg vs Ihor Potieria
- Natan Levy vs Pete Rodriguez
- Ji Yeon Kim vs Mandy Bohm
- Bryan Battle vs Gabe Green
- Jessica-Rose Clark vs Tainara Lisboa
Main Event: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Jailton Almeida
Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida collide in Saturday’s main event, as the heavyweights share the Octagon, each focused on taking another step forward in the wide-open division.
Now beginning his fifth year on the UFC roster, Rozenstruik enters off a rapid knockout win over Chris Daukaus at UFC 282 that snapped a two-fight skid. The native of Suriname has gone 3-4 over his last seven after beginning his time in the Octagon with four straight stoppage wins, but it’s hard to fault him for incurring losses to former champ Francis Ngannou, former interim champ Ciryl Gane, and top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.
CHARLOTTE FREE FIGHTS: Jarzinho Rozenstruik vs Augusto Sakai | Jailton Almeida vs Anton Turkalj
Almeida punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round submission win on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) and showed out in his promotional debut at light heavyweight against Danilo Marques. But it’s been since transitioning to heavyweight where “Malhadinho” has really impressed, as he’s racked up three additional stoppage wins to climb into the Top 15 and establishing himself as the top new threat in the division.
This is a fascinating fight on a number of levels. Firstly, Rozenstruik is the most explosive and dangerous opponent the surging Brazilian has faced to date, and it will be interesting to see how Almeida deals with that test. Secondly, it’s a classic clash of styles, as “Bigi Boy” is a powerful, accomplished kickboxer with serious power, while his counterpart prefers to grapple and handle business on the ground.
Will the veteran Rozenstruik prevail, or will Almeida show he’s ready to face the top names in the division?
Other Main Card Fights
Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker
At Home With Anthony Smith
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At Home With Anthony Smith
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Ranked light heavyweights Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker man the co-main event position in Charlotte, each looking for a way to take another step forward in their quest to reach the summit in the 205-pound weight class.
Smith returns to action for the first time since last July when he suffered an ankle injury in a loss to Magomed Ankalaev. He’d earned three straight first-round stoppage wins prior to that setback and remains one of the most experienced and dangerous outs in the top half of the divisional rankings.
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Walker enters on a two-fight winning streak, having built on last year’s win over Ion Cutelaba with a first-round finish of Paul Craig at UFC 283 in January. The tall, gangly Brazilian has shown solid improvements and adjustments over his last two fights and appears to be settling in to life in Ireland and training at SBG under John Kavanagh.
Things at the top of the division are quite murky at the moment, with champ Jamahal Hill’s first title defense not yet announced, a return date for Jiri Prochazka still unknown, and former titleholder Jan Blachowicz teasing a move to middleweight. As such, this is a chance for the winner to garner some stability in the unsettled division and put themselves in the mix for a matchup with any of the top names in the rankings.
Daniel Rodriguez vs Ian Machado Garry
It’s a massively intriguing battle in the welterweight division as Daniel Rodriguez takes on Ian Machado Garry this weekend in Charlotte.
“D-Rod” has gone 7-2 inside the Octagon since getting called up to the UFC at the start of 2020. He’s posted wins over Tim Means, Mike Perry, Kevin Lee, and Li Jingliang, and battled hard against Neil Magny last time out before getting caught in a third-round submission.
Garry has maintained his unblemished professional record through his first four UFC appearances, and enters Saturday’s contest off his best effort to date. Earlier this year against Song Kenan, the Irish prospect was knocked down and forced to steel himself in the first before resetting and rallying to finish the Chinese veteran in the third, moving his record to 11-0 overall.
This is the kind of veteran challenge many onlookers have been waiting for Machado Garry to face for the last couple fights, and how things shake out this weekend will go a long way in determining whether “The Future” is ready to be a contender or still needs a little more seasoning.
Tim Means vs Alex Morono
Veteran gunslingers finally cross paths in the main card opener as Tim Means faces off with Alex Morono.
The 39-year-old Means makes the 49th start of his professional career this weekend and 27th appearance inside the UFC Octagon. Despite suffering setbacks in each of his last two outings, “The Dirty Bird” is still three fights to the good overall under the UFC banner, and looks to get back to the form that produced wins over Thiago Alves, Mike Perry, and Nicolas Dalby in the past.
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Morono carried a four-fight winning streak into a short-notice clash with Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 282 back in December, and was up two rounds on the scorecards before getting clipped and stopped. The Texas native has won eight of his last 11 appearances, and is a solid fixture in the “Second 15” in the welterweight ranks.
Not only is this one of the early favorites for Fight of the Night, but it’s the kind of veteran pairing that should be celebrated and appreciated a lot more. Both Means and Morono are consistently entertaining action fighters, and while neither has worked their way into contention over the years, they put it all out there each time they step into the cage and should be respected and applauded for doing so.
Prelim Fights
Matt Brown vs Court McGee
TUF alums and tough customers Matt Brown and Court McGee meet in a welterweight battle to close out the prelims this weekend. The 42-year-old Brown is coming off a split decision loss to Bryan Barberena at home in Columbus, Ohio, last year that earned Fight of the Night honors, while McGee looks to bounce back after being knocked out of the first time in his career last summer. Will it be TUF 7 or TUF 11 that gets the win on Saturday?
Karl Williams vs Chase Sherman
The 33-year-old Williams makes a quick turnaround, having registered his first victory inside the Octagon in March against Lukasz Brzeski to push his winning streak to five. Sherman touches down in North Carolina having dropped five of his last six since returning to the promotion with a win over Ike Villanueva, hopeful that he can tap into that success once more.
Cody Stamann vs Douglas Silva de Andrade
Cody Stamann looks to build on his two-fight winning streak, while Douglas Silva de Andrade angles to get back into the win column in this bantamweight clash. Stamann snapped a three-fight slide with a quick stoppage win over Eddie Wineland last summer, and built on that effort with a unanimous decision win over Luan Lacerda at UFC 283 in January. After picking up a pair of finishes (and bonuses), Silva landed on the wrong side of the results last July in a clash with Said Nurmagomedov, which dropped his record to 6-5 inside the Octagon.
Carlos Ulberg vs Ihor Potieria
Light heavyweight finishers Carlos Ulberg and Ihor Potieria share the Octagon in what could be an explosive pairing on Saturday’s prelims. Ulberg has earned three straight wins and consecutive first-round finishes as he settles into life as a mixed martial artist more and more. Potieira garnered his first UFC victory in January, venturing to Rio de Janeiro and dispatching veteran Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the first round.
Natan Levy vs Pete Rodriguez
Lightweights still in the early days of their UFC journeys share the cage here as Natan Levy and Pete Rodriguez each aim to build on recent success. Levy dropped his promotional debut, but has since rebounded with consecutive wins over Mike Breeden and Genaro Valdez, while Rodriguez is moving back down to the 155-pound ranks following his short-notice debut loss to Jack Della Maddalena and a first-round stoppage win over Mike Jackson back in October.
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Ji Yeon Kim vs Mandy Bohm
Ji Yeon Kim and Mandy Bohm face off in this battle of struggling flyweights eager to get things moving in the right direction again. Kim earned three wins in her first five UFC appearances, but has been mired in a slump since, entering Saturday’s contest on a four-fight slide. After dropping her debut against Ariane Lipski, the 33-year-old German veteran Bohm landed on the wrong side of the scorecards against DWCS grad Victoria Leonardo last time out.
Bryan Battle vs Gabe Green
Local man Bryan Battle looks to rebound from his first UFC loss when he steps in to take on Gabe Green this weekend. Battle landed on the wrong side of a one-sided fight last time out against Rinat Fakhretdinov in December, and steps in for Jake Matthews here with designs on getting things moving in the right direction again. The 30-year-old Green is 2-2 through his first four UFC appearances, sandwiching wins over Phil Rowe and Yohan Lainesse between losses to main card combatants Daniel Rodriguez and Ian Machado Garry.
Jessica-Rose Clark vs Tainara Lisboa
Veteran fan favorite Jessica-Rose Clark is tasked with welcoming Tainara Lisboa to the Octagon for the first time in Saturday’s opener. “Jessy Jess” returns to action looking to snap a two-fight skid after suffering consecutive first-round submission losses to Stephanie Egger and Julija Stoliarenko last year. The debuting Lisboa is 32 years old and 5-2 as a mixed martial artist after transitioning to the sport following a career in Muay Thai.
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida took place live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on May 13, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
