The next stop on UFC’s event calendar happens to be on June 5 as UFC Vegas 28 is scheduled to be held at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several fights on the card were confirmed earlier this week, including a heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Augusto Sakai. The bout between the two heavyweights is expected to headline the event.
Rozenstruik will be entering the bout as the No. 6 heavyweight fighter in the UFC. He may not be ranked as highly, but Sakai comes in at No. 9. Considering where each fighter ranks in the heavyweight division, their UFC Vegas 28 bout could help either man receive a major boost up the rankings. Each fighter also lost their most recent fight, so it’s pretty easy to see that they’ll be hungry for the victory.
As usual, BetOnline has released odds on the Rozenstruik-Sakai bout. To see which fighter is favored to win in Vegas next week, continue reading.
UFC Vegas 28 Odds: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-2-0) vs. Augusto Sakai (15-2-1)
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, May 27
- Moneyline: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-116) vs Augusto Sakai (-104)
- Total: 1.5 rounds — Over (-185), Under (+155)
Rozenstruik Entering as Favorite
At -116 odds, Rozenstruik will enter his UFC Vegas 28 clash as the slight favorite. The 33-year-old most recently fought at a Fight Night event back in February where he lost to Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision. Now, he’ll be looking to bounce back against Sakai.
While he may not have the quickest feet in the company, Rozenstruik makes up for it with his power and striking ability. Out of his 11 professional MMA wins, 10 of them have come via KO or TKO. Rozenstruik is currently averaging 3.14 significant strikes landed per minute on 48% accuracy. Needless to say, Sakai will feel his strikes early and often.
When it comes to his strategy, Rozenstruik will likely want an early victory. Seven of his 10 victories have come within the first round of action and only five of his fights have made it to the second round or beyond. Considering how he’s lost two of his last three fights, watch for Rozenstruik to try and make quick work of his opponent at UFC Vegas 28.
UFC Vegas 28 Odds: Can Sakai Squeeze Out the Victory?
Sakai may be the -104 underdog entering his bout with Rozenstruik, but it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a shot at winning. Before the Brazilian lost to Alistair Overeem in September 2020, he was on a six-bout winning streak that included four KO/TKO victories. His loss to Overeem was his first in the UFC, so it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back from that.
One advantage that he has over Rozenstruik is his superior footwork, so he’ll need to use that to his advantage if he’s looking for the victory. From a striking standpoint, Sakai is landing 5.32 significant strikes per minute on 48% accuracy. He also absorbs 4.02 significant strikes per minute, which goes to show that he can both dish it and take it.
However, the one thing that Sakai does have going against him ahead of UFC Vegas 28 is his loss to Overeem. He was the heavy favorite entering the fight, only to lose to the ageing UFC veteran. On the other hand, Rozenstruik actually defeated Overeem around a year before that bout, which shows that he was able to do something that Sakai couldn’t.
