We’re going to have to wait a little longer before seeing Stefan Struve battle Francis Ngannou.
A report surfaced earlier today (March 2) claiming that a bout between Struve and Ngannou was in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night event in Stockholm, Sweden. Had the date (May 28) held true, the heavyweight battle would’ve joined the 205-pound tilt between Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira.
Instead, the “Skyscraper” took to his Instagram account to debunk the report. While Struve didn’t deny a fight with Ngannou could happen in the future, it won’t be happening in May. Struve explained that he is still recovering the same shoulder surgery that put his rematch with Junior dos Santos on the shelf.
Here’s what he said on the reported bout:
“Just to end these rumors right away, Francis and I aren’t fighting in Sweden (on) May 28th. I’m still recovering from shoulder surgery and now finally, after seven weeks I’m slowly able to start using some (small) weights again. (I’m) Still (in) some annoying pain now and then but slowly getting better. I’m hoping/aiming for (a) late June/July time frame.”
Both men are on the top 15 UFC heavyweight rankings. Ngannou sits at the sixth spot, while Struve is just shy of reaching the top 10 at the 11th position.
