Issue 146
October 2016
Stefan Struve, aka the ‘Skyscraper’, reveals why he’s reaching new heights.
I’ve had a lot of adversity in my UFC career so far. I turned 21 just three days before my first fight against Junior dos Santos. And I just wasn’t ready.
Then there are my two losses, in my opinion, due to issues with my health (Struve had a heart condition that kept him out for almost two years). In the Mark Hunt fight, I felt like I was winning until my body basically told me I could not go any further. I could barely move.
After the long layoff, I had a rough first fight back (against Alistair Overeem). Now I really feel I’m back. Forget about the loss to Jared Rosholt in Melbourne. I don’t count that as a loss, as that wasn’t even a fight. The guy just lay on me and, well, there’s a reason why I’m still in the UFC and he’s no longer with the company. I came to fight. He came to spoil.
I much prefer to look at my performances either side of that night, against Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira in Brazil and in my last fight against ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in Rotterdam, as proof to where I’m at right now. I dominated two big guys in those fights and proved I’m back in the mix at championship level.
To be able to fight ‘Big Nog’ in his last fight was a huge honor. He’s definitely one of the guys that come to mind when I’m asked about who I looked up to in MMA. I always really enjoyed watching him fight. So to be able to say I faced him and I beat him is a special honor.
But it’s true that you don’t learn much when you win, even on nights like those. You learn the most from a loss. You work harder after a loss. There are so many things that have happened in my career – highs and lows – but it’s always the low points when you learn the most things.
Making the switch to train with Blackzilians has been huge for me. To train with Anthony Johnson, Rashad Evans, Matt Mitrione, etc. every single day has been a huge improvement. I’ve been able to push myself with those guys.
That’s not to mention the amazing trainers like Neil Melanson, Henri Hooft, Greg Jones and Jorge Santiago. It has been one of the best decisions I could have made. It’s been amazing.
The grappling aspect of things has been career-changing. It’s no secret that wrestling is one of the reasons I just had to leave Holland. There was no one who could really help me with my takedown defense and offensive wrestling. Blackzilians have amazing coaches.
Working with the likes of Melanson and Jones on a daily basis has been phenomenal. They’ve improved me so much. My wrestling, my cage work, my get-ups – everything. Even when a high-level wrestler gets me down, I have a ton of submissions to attack with. If I was facing me, I would be afraid to enter my guard.
When you train at a place like that it’s impossible not to be inspired by those around you. I also inspire myself a lot. I’m actually a pretty positive person. I have always wanted to be the best and I really believe I can be the best. To be able to bring that every single day with me to the gym, to inspire myself, to give my very best in the gym and inside the cage. That’s very important.
Stipe stoppage
Unique knockout
Struve is the only man to KO UFC heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic. He hit a second-round stoppage with a blizzard of right uppercuts in September 2012.
