Stefan Struve signs new contract with UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championships moved to lock down its tallest fighter on Tuesday, signing Dutch heavyweight Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve to a new four-fight contract.
The deal was announced by Struve’s management company, Alchemist Management, and then confirmed by the fighter on Twitter. The exact monetary value of the contract was not revealed, but it should provide
a pay raise for Struve.
The 6ft 11in fighter is 20-4 in his career in mixed martial arts, and 4-2 overall in the UFC. At just 22 years old, he is considered one of the brightest heavyweight prospects currently fighting with the
promotion.
His UFC career did not start well however, as he was knocked out in his first UFC fight by the heavy-handed Brazilian, Junior Dos Santos. Another loss would probably have seen him cut at that point, but he
rebounded with three consecutive submission victories, before earning a huge fight against Roy Nelson.
In that fight he was crushingly knocked out by Nelson in just 39 seconds. With his UFC career once again perhaps on the line, he rebounded in his next fight with a three-punch knockout victory of Christian
Morecraft that earned him “knockout of the night” honours.
That victory is enough to have earned him his new contract. In signing him, the UFC not only locks up a potential future star, but also one of their most consistent and reliable fighters. Struve fought his
first UFC fights in just 18 months, becoming one of the most active heavyweights in the UFC, and he has fought all 24 of his fights since 2005.
Though he hails from the Netherlands, a country known for producing top-level kickboxing talent, Struve is also known for his submission grappling. He is able to use his unusually long limbs to sink in chokes
from unusual angles, as he did against Denis Stojnic (rear naked choke) and Chase Gormley (triangle choke) in his second and third UFC fights, respectively.
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