Jairzinho Rozenstruik beats Tai Tuivasa, split decision confuses

Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa appeared to end a dangerous four-fight losing streak when he faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik on Saturday during the PPV portion of UFC 305.

On the card, which took place in Perth, Australia, Tuivasa found that he had lost to fighters such as Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov during that slump, while former kickboxer and RIZIN veteran Rozenstruik came into the fight with a win over Shamil Gaziev.

The fight started with a slugfest, with both men looking reserved. After about a minute, they went off in a little flurry that had Tuivasa running around the outside. Tai used a lot of feints, which led to a sort of chess game/feeling out. A big swing and a missed leg kick sent Tuivasa spinning around; Rozenstruik would fire a high kick moments later that was blocked. In the final 90 seconds of the round, kicks were the best weapon used by both men. However, Rozenstruik added a punch to the body.

Tuivasa came into his own in the second round, firing off a right hand that drew a reaction from both Rozenstruik and the crowd. Moments later, Tai landed a right and then unleashed a barrage. Rozenstruik had to back away, but Rozenstruik unleashed a left that hit Tai! These two big men were now going full throttle. Tuivasa again pushed Rozenstruik back, but had to be careful of the counter.

The fight was still open, but Tuivasa seemed to hurt himself with a kick. Tuivasa hopped carefully and now had to fight against Rozenstruik, who continued to attack him. Tuivasa fought back and pushed Rozenstruik down, regardless of whether he had an injured leg or not. However, the first two rounds had been fought too much at Jair Rozenstruik's pace, which Tuivasa had to compensate for in the third round if he wanted to have any hope of winning.

Tuivasa tried to land a right hand early in the third round to land the knockout blow. He fired off a front kick, at least showing his leg was still together. Rozenstruik connected with a kick on the front leg. Rozenstruik landed a punch, Tuivasa responded and they traded kicks to the body. There was a lot of back and forth in the third round, but as usual, time became a factor. Needing a finish, Tai overdid it with a right. Another punch went wide and Tuivasa signaled he had been hit deep, but decided to continue without stopping.

In the final 90 seconds, Tuivasa was unable to find the finishing he needed, but not for lack of effort. It was only in the final 20 seconds that he found a way forward, finally overtaking Rozenstruik just seconds before the final whistle.

On the scorecards, it looked as if Rozenstruik had won a clear point victory, but judge Howie Booth scored the result 30-27 for Tai, which was a particularly questionable score.

Official Result: Jarizinho Rozenstruik defeated Tai Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)