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Heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jamal Pogues have been removed from the UFC roster following losses this past weekend in Saudi Arabia.
UFC officials confirmed the moves to MMA Fighting on Monday.
A 15-fight veteran in the octagon, Rozenstruik started his UFC career on a hot streak with four straight knockout wins capped off by a comeback finish over Alistair Overeem back in 2019. That earned Rozenstruik a fight against Francis Ngannou but his night ended early with a devastating knockout loss just 20 seconds into the opening round.
Following that loss, Rozenstruik struggled to put together any momentum while bouncing back and forth between wins and losses over the next few years. Rozenstruik did manage to put together a two-fight win streak with victories over Tai Tuivasa and Shamil Gaziev but then he dropped a lackluster decision to Sergei Pavlovich at the UFC Saudi Arabia card this past Saturday.
Ultimately, Rozenstruik was removed from the UFC roster with a record of 9-6 overall.
As for Pogues, his run with the UFC ends following a disappointing split decision loss to Hamdy Abdelwahab, which dropped his overall record with the promotion to 2-2. Pogues vehemently disagreed with the judges in his most recent loss, but he still left Saudi Arabia with another defeat on his record and now he’s no longer on the UFC roster.
Fighters removed from the roster are obviously eligible to sign with another promotion or potentially return to the UFC at a later date.
