UFC on Fuel 5's Stefan Struve says he's a "big step up in competition" for Stipe Miocic

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

24-year-old UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve will headline his first UFC event this Saturday night, taking on Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC on Fuel 5 in Nottingham, England. In what may seem like a surprising mark, Struve has already appeared 11 times inside of the Octagon, winning eight of those fights, seven by stoppage.

He's won three straight fights, and five of his last six, but he's still been susceptible to knockout losses in his career, dropping fights against Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, and Junior dos Santos, all in the first round. Still, at his age, he's looking to make a run up the ladder in the heavyweight division, and he sees this first main event slot as a chance to get more attention overall.

"I think winning a main event is something that gets you the exposure," Struve said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "A lot of people will be watching it, and you'll be the headline on every single MMA news site. You'll be the headline because you're the main event, so getting a win in a show like that is really important for your career."

That same opportunity is being afforded his opponent, whom Struve sees as a talented fighter, but one taking a big step up in competition against him.

"It's a big step up to be main event, he's only had nine fights so far. He's definitely got the skill, although I think this is a huge step up in competition for him," Struve said. "He hasn't faced a guy who is nearly as good as me on the ground in my opinion and my striking's been coming together, especially in the last year."

"It's a huge advantage all the experience I got, and for him like I said, this is a big step up in competition for him," he continued. "This is the first time it really happened to him. He took a fight on short notice the last time when he fought Shane Del Rosario, but that wasn't a big step up in competition from his last couple fights."

"I've come back from adversity and I've pretty much seen it all, and done it all, so I know whatever happens in there, I'm ready for it and I'll fight my way through it."

Penick's Analysis: This is definitely a step up in competition for Miocic. Struve is a very unique fighter because of his height, and his grappling game is very good for the heavyweight division. He's yet to really figure out how to use his reach, however, and Miocic has some power in his hands that could catch him off guard if he allows it. And with Miocic's wrestling game, it will be interesting to see how Struve approaches the matchup. Still, this will be a big fight for both fighters on Saturday night, and we'll see which one can rise to the occasion.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14463.shtml

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