Stefan Struve (pronunciationⓘ; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Struve had his first and only amateur MMA bout at age 16 and won via head kick knockout.
By late 2008, he had racked up a record of 16–2, losing once (in his second fight) via injury to Romualds Garkulis and again in the second round of a Star Of Peresvit tournament in Ukraine, to future Bellator Light heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu.
There, Struve attempted submissions, before giving up top position to Gormley and securing a triangle choke.
[14] Struve fought The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights winner Roy Nelson on March 31, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 21.
[16] Struve defeated the previously undefeated Sean McCorkle via first-round TKO on December 11, 2010, at UFC 124.
After being taken down early and escaping a kimura attempt, Struve swept McCorkle, gaining mount, and rained down a steady stream of strikes for the victory.
[19] Struve faced Dave Herman on February 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 1,[20] winning via second-round TKO.
During a tepid first round, Struve seemed slow to start, finding little success against Herman who closed the distance and looked the more agile striker of the two.
In the second round, Struve began to open up, mixing in a body-clinch take-down while piecing together striking combinations.
He landed a left hook, inside leg kick, left hook & right uppercut in quick succession to drop a stunned Herman, proceeding to mount his opponent and deliver strikes until forcing the referee's intervention.
[22] Struve quickly submitted Johnson in the first round with an armbar, earning his third "Submission of the Night" bonus.
Struve faced undefeated prospect, Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fuel TV 5 on September 29, 2012.
[30] On April 7, 2014, manager Lex McMahon announced in the show "The MMA Hour" that Struve has approval from the doctor to fight again and return to the Octagon.
Right now we’re just waiting for a copy of his file to be translated so that the UFC can have their doctor take a look at it, and they’re going to determine whether or not to have Stefan get a second opinion or not.
[31][32] During the first fight of the main card, however, Struve fainted in the dressing room and had an elevated heart rate.
[46] Struve was originally expected to face Junior dos Santos in a rematch on February 19, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105.
[62] The finish was controversial as Rothwell had accidentally hit Struve in the groin twice and was docked one point for these infractions in the second round.
The referee encouraged the compromised Struve to continue, resulting in a finish for Rothwell late in the second round.