UFC Fight Night 115 Preview
It seems like a long time since the octagon had some action and for Stefan Struve, it must have felt like ages.
It has been just short of a full year since Struve stepped into the octagon which is seemingly becoming a common thing for a man that used to be one of the best prospects in the heavyweight division.
Struve entered the UFC in 2009 and immediately he was a different type of fighter, mainly because of his very appropriate nickname.
The man known as Skyscraper was going to present some serious problems for heavyweights in the UFC.
He was so much taller than other heavyweights and the reach alone was going to be a very tough problem to solve for all of the heavyweights.
Things never quite worked out for Struve though as they believed that he had the chance to do big things but he couldn’t find his groove.
As he moved up the rankings he fell short when the bigger names came up, then in 2011, he rattled off four straight wins including one against current champion Stipe Miocic.
Just as he was about to make that jump to being a true contender he took another loss this time to Mark Hunt.
It ended his momentum and Struve became a rare sight in the octagon with a mix of losses and wins that kept him around but in no position to challenge for a title.
Two straight wins Struve was ready to take that run towards title contention again but injuries cancelled his next fights and have kept him out for almost a year.
Alexander Volkov is where Struve was although it has been more of his performance than his look as he is riding a four fight win streak including two since entering the UFC.
Neither has been overly impressive as both were just decision wins but two straight wins is still something to build on in the UFC.
Volkov now looks to add another big name to his list of wins as he takes on Struve in his first main event fight.
Both fighters are looking to try to gain some momentum in the division and it won’t be hard for them to do it at heavyweight.
The division has been suffering for years and it is still not the division that it used to be but there are some promising prospects making their way up the rankings.
The division is still wide open although it won’t be for much longer and now is the time to try to make a move towards the title.
Struve is an established name that might not need that much time in order to find his way back especially after his two straight wins.
Making it three would put him right back in the running although he would still need a bigger win especially after taking almost a year off.
For Volkov, this is a chance to add a big name and continue his climb up the rankings.
He is one of the top prospects that is making his way up the rankings much like Francis N’Gannou.
If he can take a win in this main event he will build that reputation that he needs in order to find his way to the top of the rankings.
The UFC needs that as the heavyweight division is in need of some young blood and with Miocic ruling from the top they are beginning to get that young blood.
N’Gannou is one but with his fight cancelled there is room for someone else to put their name into the mix.
Volkov hopes that it can be him as he tries to be that young prospect that can make some noise.
Struve is hoping that he can stop it as he ends his long layoff with a big main event fight that will attempt to restart some momentum for the former top prospect.
It is tough to gain momentum when having this much time off and so his two wins are good but without another fight in the past 11 months he needs this win to get things going again.
If he can do it he will take out a top prospect and put his own name among the potential contenders in the division.
The Sport Addiction 