What’s the story?
MMA veteran Stefan ‘Skyscraper’ Struve has suffered an injury and will be unable to compete at the upcoming UFC Fight Night next month. According to Foxsports.com, the Dutchman has suffered a shoulder injury which has forced him to pull out of his rematch against Junior Dos Santos. His team confirmed the news to FOX Sports on Thursday following an initial report from Combate. His team issued the following statement:
“He (Struve) is very disappointed and looks forward to returning to competition as soon as possible. Thanks to all his fans for their support and apologizes to Junior Dos Santos that they are not able to fight in February but looks forward to that fight in the future.”
The dutchman’s injury has left the top ranked Brazilian without an opponent. MMA matchmaker Joe Silva and the UFC are desperate to keep Dos Santos on the fight card of next month’s event and are looking for fighters to replace Struve.
In case you didn’t know...
Struve has faced ‘Cigano’ before in the preliminary card of UFC 95. JDS had registered a dominant victory in that fight via TKO in the first round. Struve, who would have no doubt been looking to avenge his loss against JDS, last defeated Daniel Omielanczuk at UFC 204 due to submission via an arm-triangle choke. Whereas, JDS last defeated Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (50-45,50-45,50-45).
The heart of the matter
Details of the injury have not been revealed. It is being speculated that Struve suffered the alleged injury in training. However, it should be noted that he trains with the Blackzilians, a team which isn’t known for training injuries to frequent its fighters.
What next?
UFC hasn’t yet released any official statement about the 28 year old Dutchman’s injury. Neither have they released any statement about a possible replacement for ‘Skyscraper’.
The fight scheduled for UFC Fight Night 105 had huge significance for JDS. A dominant victory over Struve would have fastracked him onto securing a title shot. There are rumors that he still wants to fight a top contender in February next to procure a title shot against Stipe Miocic, the Champion who he already beat.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Unfortunately, injuries are a huge part of MMA and all other combat sports. It’s unfortunate that Struve was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury. It will be even more unfortunate for JDS if the UFC fails to find an opponent for him though.
However, this short-notice opportunity could be a big one for any other heavyweight. To fight ‘Cigano’ in the main event of a Fight Night would be a dream come true for a number of fighters.
