VIDEO | Jairzinho Rozenstruik gets hero’s welcome in Suriname

Jairzinho Rozenstruik picked up the biggest win over his career over the weekend, scoring a last-minute knockout over former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the main event of the UFC’s latest stop in Washington, D.C.

When he arrived home in his native Suriname, Rozenstruik received a welcome worthy of this feat, as he was swarmed by fans, journalists, and photographers. See it below (via Ariel Helwani on Twitter):

Holy smokes. Look at the reception at the airport when @JairRozenstruik landed in his native Suriname last night. Incredible. 📽 @LouDiBono pic.twitter.com/CSWsr0dIus

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 10, 2019

Suriname is a small Dutch-speaking country in South America, situated between Guyana and French Guyana, with a long stretch of coastline. Despite being home to less than 600,000 people, the country has produced a number of combat sports stars such as kickboxers Tyrone Spong and Remy Bonjasky, MMA veteran Melvin Manhoef, and former WBO boxing champ Regilio Tuur — all of whom were born in the capital city of Paramaribo. Until Rozenstruik, however, the country had yet to have a high-level talent in the UFC. So, it’s understandable to see him so well-received upon his homecoming.

With his victory over Alistair Overeem, Rozenstruik improved to a perfect 10-0 overall, and 4-0 in the UFC.

The Surinamese star made his debut in the Octagon earlier this year, and in the short span he’s called the UFC home, he’s delivered violent knockouts of Junior Albini, Allen Crowder, Andrei Arlovski and Overeem.

With this momentum on his side, Rozenstruik is now calling for a fan-friendly showdown with top heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. While the bout is not yet official, Ngannou is seemingly willing to accept the fight.

If it’s booked, the winner will be well-positioned for a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. One can only imagine how wild Suriname would go if Jairzinho Rozenstruik ended up winning that title.

What do you think the future holds for the Fighting Pride of Suriname?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/10/2019.