Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev is in the main event of UFC Vegas 87. The Heavyweight showdown sees the No.12 ranked Rozenstruik trying to rebuild his career after three defeats in four fights. But it won’t be easy against the unbeaten Gaziev, who is looking to establish himself within the UFC. In our latest UFC betting picks, we look ahead to the contest and tell you who will win.
The UFC returns to the UFC Apex in Vegas this Saturday. Last weekend’s show in Mexico City produced a shock result in the main event, and this week Jairzinho Rozenstruik will be looking to upset the odds again against the betting favorite Shamil Gaziev in the main event.
Also on the main card this Saturday is a Light Heavyweight contest between Vitor Petrino (-300) and Tyson Pedro (+250). At Flyweight, Alex Perez (+285) takes on Muhammad Mokaev (-350), and Matt Schnell (+315) squares up against Steve Erceg (-380).
A Bantamweight showdown between Umar Nurmagomedov (-1000) and Bekzat Almakhan (+700) completes the lineup, which we’re sure you’ll agree, is yet another top-quality fight card put on by the UFC.
In the latest UFC Vegas betting odds to win the fight, Shamil Gaziev is the -160 favorite on the money line. The more experienced Jairzinho Rozenstruik is the outsider at +140.
In the method of victory betting, Rozenstruik is +125 to win by KO/TKO/DQ, with Gaziev +175 in the same market. It’s rare to see the fight-betting favorite as the outsider in the most likely method of victory betting. But given Rozenstruik’s fighting style, it’s understandable on this occasion.
In the betting to win by submission, the gulf in class starts to become more apparent. In this market, Rozenstruik is +4000, Gaziev is +275. And if the fight goes the distance, Gaziev is +1200, and Rozenstruik is +1600.
Further highlighting the nature of this fight, the spread is 1.5 rounds. Over 1.5 rounds is +145, and under 1.5 is just -175. Finally, the fight is +700 to go the distance and -1400 to end early. More betting options are available below on our UFC odds table. All our odds are from the best UFC betting sites.
| Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jairzinho Rozenstruik | +140 | +140 | +140 |
| Shamil Gaziev | -160 | -160 | -160 |
| Rozenstruik To Win Points | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Rozenstruik To Win Submission | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Rozenstruik To Win KO/TKO/DQ | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Gaziev To Win Points | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Gaziev To Win Submission | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Gaziev To Win KO/TKO/DQ | +175 | +175 | +175 |
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has a career record of 13-5-0. A former kickboxer, Rozenstruik first fought in the UFC in 2019. At the time, he was 6-0, meaning his UFC record stands at a modest 7-5-0. Known as Big Boy, Rozenstruik holds the record for the second-fastest knockout in the Heavyweight division in UFC history.
In his most recent fight, Rozenstruik was submitted by Jailton Almeida in May 2023. This was the 35-year-old’s third loss in his previous four fights.
12 of Rozenstruik’s 13 MMA wins have come by KO. The other was by decision. He has also lost by KO twice, twice by decision, and once by submission.
Shamil Gaziev has a Mixed Martial Arts record of 12-0. His win breakdown is eight KOs, three submissions, and one decision. In his most recent fight, he defeated Martin Buday by KO in the Early Prelims on the Edwards vs. Covington undercard at UFC 296 in December.
The 34-year-old from Bahrain hasn’t had many fights for a man of his age. And this will only be his second full appearance in the UFC.
He did beat Greg Velasco on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7, in September 2023. The submission win came after two and half minutes of the second round and impressed the hierarchy within the UFC organization.
Picking up on those last points and going from the bottom of the Early Premins to headlining a Fight Night shows that the UFC sees Gaziev as a rising star and must be looking to fast-track him.
Putting him in against Rozenstruik makes sense. The experienced big hitter will test Gaziev and show fans and matchmakers what he is made of. This shouldn’t be lost on Rozenstruik either. He will know he’s been lined up as fodder to test an up-and-coming star and, in the eyes of the UFC, probably lose. Rozenstruik will be keen to prove everybody wrong.
The odds perfectly illustrate the difference between the two fighters, though. Rozenstruik has a puncher’s chance, and probably a better one than Gaziev. Beyond that, it’s the unbeaten Gaziev all the way.
Gaziev has better ground skills, and although he can punch, if he simply gets into a slugfest, he makes the fight more of a 50/50 call.
But Gaziev’s main strength, and where he has a serious advantage over Rozenstruik, is his speed and movement. He continually hunts his opponents, pushing them back, quickly moving in and out of range. If he implements this game plan against Rozenstruik, he should have too much for his opponent and could finish the contest early.
If the fight drags on, Rozenstruik could come back into it. And as things should slow down, this could allow him to unleash one of his big shots and gain the win.
But, we feel that Gaziev will have the fight over by then and make him our pick to win by knockout.
See below the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
