UFC Releases Ranked Heavyweight Following Disappointing Loss

Saturday was a bad day to be a heavyweight on the losing end of a less-than-thrilling decision. Both Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jamal Pogues lost rather listless fights in Saudi Arabia to Sergei Pavlovich and Hamdy Abdelwahab, respectively.

Rozenstruik and Pogues were both released from the UFC roster on Monday.

Rozenstruik’s release was the most notable. His fight with Pavlovich was by far the worst of the evening. UFC President Dana White called the fight “horrible” during his post-fight presser.

He was ranked No. 9 coming into Saturday’s fight against No. 4 Pavlovich. The 36-year-old had been on a two-fight win streak before losing to Pavlovich.

He leaves the UFC with a 15-6 record and with noteworthy wins over Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Shamil Gaziev, and Tai Tuivasa.

Pogues’ release wasn’t all that surprising, considering he’s lost two of his last three.

However, it was tough, considering many thought he deserved the win over Abdelwahab on Saturday.

In one of the worst decisions of the evening, the judges awarded Abdelwahab the split-decision victory despite the winner being out-landed 69-44 in significant strikes.

As it is, the UFC’s division is now less crowded, and on Wednesday, there should be a new heavyweight added to the rankings with Rozenstruik’s departure.

If you’re wondering who might replace Rozenstruik in the heavyweight rankings, Kennedy Nzechukwu and Martin Buday are possibilities. Both fighters are coming off wins, though Nzechukwu’s was more recent and definitive.

Nzechukwu scored a first-round KO win in December at UFC 310. The converted light heavyweight might finally be in a position to make a leap up the rankings.

Buday last fought in June, and he had to go the distance with Arlovski. Clearly, that’s not as impressive as Nzechukwu’s win.

The change in the rankings might be pushed back until next week because Rozenstruik’s release happened on Monday evening. If that’s the case, keep an eye on the winner of Justin Tafa vs. Talisson Teixeira at UFC 312 on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.

Tafa has lost two in a row, but he should still be on the cusp of a Top 15 ranking. One win might not get it done. However, Teixeira is in a position to make a real splash. He’s making his main roster debut.

A stoppage win would be very impressive, especially considering the fight will take place on the main card. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the winner of Teixeira vs. Nzechukwu seems like a great fight.

Here is a look at the entire UFC 312 card.