Towering heavyweight Stefan Struve returns to action later this year at UFC Fight Night Rotterdam. Opposite him in the cage that night will be another long, tall heavyweight in Alexander Volkov. Coming off two straight victories, Struve had been expected to face Junior Dos Santos in Halifax this past February, but an injury got in the way. Finally, however, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Struve said that “finally I’m able to hit the pads again. I feel there’s still a little bit of work to do, but it’s already so much better than it was before the surgery. So, I’m feeling great.”
That’s good news for a fighter who has historically struggled to stay healthy, having dealt with a broken jaw and heart issues in the past. And he’d very much like to start making a push towards a title shot. After all, Struve (28-8) already has a win over current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Despite that, the “Skyscraper” doesn’t care all that much about who sits where in the rankings.
“If I look at my divsion, I don’t care about those rankings. But if you look at the guys who are ranked above me, I feel I beat most of them, and I already got a win over the champion.”
Interestingly enough, Volkov is currently ranked ahead of Struve, despite having just two UFC fights to his name. Both bouts went to decision. The Russian, however, is a former Bellator MMA champion. Struve, meanwhile, remains one of the younger fighters in the division at twenty-nine, but has far more bouts than most heavyweights his age.
Struve certainly isn’t phased by his opponent’s abilities, telling MMA Junkie that ““I feel that I’m the best fighter he has faced in his career so far, and I’m planning to show that.”
