MMA is the only sport in which you can be down by a landslide and win in an instant.
On Dec. 7 at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, Jairzinho Rozenstruik punched his ticket to UFC title contender status with a win over Alistair Overeem.
Down on all three judges’ scorecards entering the fifth round of their main event, Rozenstruik (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was being picked apart by Overeem (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in the final round. As the clock wound down toward zero, Rozenstruik went for broke.
The Surinamese heavyweight landed a massive overhand right that floored the legendary Dutch fighter. Rozenstruik elected not to throw any follow-up shots. Instead, in Mark Hunt fashion, Rozenstruik calmly walked away and acknowledged his handiwork.
Overeem stumbled to his feet in protest, but he clearly was hurt. Referee Dan Miragliotta caught him and called a stop to the fight with four seconds left in the fifth round.
In addition to providing viewers with one of the most improbably successful last-ditch efforts in UFC history, Rozenstruik was responsible for the gore that resulted.
Upon a closer look, Overeem’s lip was hanging off of his face. A giant gash had formed across the left side of his lip, and laceration continued up toward his cheek. The image quickly went viral.
Not only did Rozenstruik elevate himself to a fight March 28 against Francis Ngannou at UFC on ESPN 8 in Colubus, Ohio, he earned MMA Junkie’s “Comeback of the Year.”
Honorable Mentions
Stipe Miocic
Event: UFC 241 – Aug. 17 in Anaheim, Calif.
Opponent: Daniel Cormier
Method of Victory: TKO (punches) – Round 4, 4:09
Peter Queally
Event: Bellator 227, Sept. 27 in Dublin
Opponent: Ryan Scope
Method of Victory: TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:07
The UFC’s Flyweight Division
Event: Entire 2019
Opponent: UFC
Method of Victory: Divisional survival
Jingnan Xiong
Event: One Championship: A New Era, March 31 in Tokyo
Opponent: Angela Lee
Method of Victory: TKO (body kicks and punches) – Round 5, 1:37
Robert Whiteford
Event: Bellator Europe 6, Nov. 23 in London
Opponent: Sam Sicilia
Method of Victory: Knockout (punches) – Round 3, 4:54
Eddie Alvarez
Event: One Championship: Dawn of Heroes, Aug. 2 in Manila, Philippines
Opponent: Eduard Folayang
Method of Victory: TKO (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:16
Also see:
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Fight of the Year’: Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year’: Geoff Neal
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Coach of the Year’: Eugene Bareman of City Kickboxing
- MMA Junkie’s ‘Knockout of the Year’ for 2019: Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Breakout Fighter of the Year’: Jorge Masvidal
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Robbery of the Year’: Polyana Viana’s vigilante justice
- MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Submission of the Year’: Bryce Mitchell’s twister
