Stefan Struve vs. Marcin Tybura has gone from planned to official.
Last week, our own Damon Martin reported that a heavyweight clash between Struve and Tybura was in the works for UFC Hamburg. Today (April 27), the UFC made it official. Check it out:
Heavyweights are coming to #UFCHamburg!! @MarcinTybura vs. @StefanStruve throw down on July 22!
? https://t.co/0ToYuWwtbm pic.twitter.com/x45ZZ1pHaA
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 27, 2018
Struve has his back against the wall. He has lost two straight bouts. He was finished by Alexander Volkov, who is now the third ranked UFC heavyweight. Then, he was topped by Andrei Arlovski in a bout where many questioned the “Skyscraper’s” desire to compete.
Tybura is also coming off two straight losses. He fell short in a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Fabricio Werdum. He tried to rebound against Derrick Lewis, but it ended up being a TKO loss. A third straight loss would certainly see his prospect status take a hit.
A look at the official UFC heavyweight rankings will reveal why this match-up makes sense. Tybura holds the eighth spot, while Struve has slid down to the 11th position after his recent losses. A win for Tybura isn’t likely to see much movement in terms of rankings, but a win for Struve should bump him up at least one spot.
UFC Hamburg takes place on July 22. The action will be held inside the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. In the main event of UFC Hamburg, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will do battle with Volkan Oezdemir. Light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi have been reported for the card.
Also announced for the card is a lightweight scrap between Nasrat Haqparast and Marc Diakiese. Middleweights Vitor Miranda and Abu Azaitar are also set to throw leather. Stick with MMANews.com for coverage of UFC Hamburg. We’ll be providing the latest details on the card as they become available.
Who needs the win more, Stefan Struve or Marcin Tybura?
