Tag: Stefan Struve

Five Reasons to Be Sort-Of Interested in ‘UFC on FUEL 5: Struve vs. Miocic’


(Reason #6: Impromptu limbo competitions!) 

The UFC will be making it’s return to jolly old England this weekend and go figure, the card is of the mid to low interest range and will be broadcast for free here in the States (unless you don’t have FUEL, of course. What’s that? NO ONE has Fuel?!). Not that we’re complaining about a night of free fights, but the buzz surrounding this event could best be described as tumbleweeds. Fortunately for you, there are at least five good reasons to tune in Saturday afternoon, which we’ve laid out in a convenient list format with bold titles and everything. Aren’t we just the best?

1. A Main Event That Definitely Ain’t Going the Distance 

As BG explained earlier, a fight with Stefan Struve ends in one of three ways; Struve via submission, Struve via (T)KO, or Struve’s opponent via uber-violent KO. His fights are like the Paranormal Activity movies; you know from the start how badly things will end for the parties involved, but it’s the path to that ending that you’re interested in. The same can be said for the undefeated Stipe Miocic, minus the uber-violent losses of course. Miocic has been on an absolute tear since entering the UFC and has finished 2 of his 3 opponents in brutal fashion. In fact, in a combined 38 fights, the two main event players have only seen the judges scorecards twice. And Saturday night will be no different; Struve will either take this fight to the ground and try to pull off a sub or throw caution to the wind and get savaged. In either case, it will make for one incredibly entertaining fight.


(Reason #6: Impromptu limbo competitions!) 

The UFC will be making it’s return to jolly old England this weekend and go figure, the card is of the mid to low interest range and will be broadcast for free here in the States (unless you don’t have FUEL, of course. What’s that? NO ONE has Fuel?!). Not that we’re complaining about a night of free fights, but the buzz surrounding this event could best be described as tumbleweeds. Fortunately for you, there are at least five good reasons to tune in Saturday afternoon, which we’ve laid out in a convenient list format with bold titles and everything. Aren’t we just the best?

1. A Main Event That Definitely Ain’t Going the Distance 

As BG explained earlier, a fight with Stefan Struve ends in one of three ways; Struve via submission, Struve via (T)KO, or Struve’s opponent via uber-violent KO. His fights are like the Paranormal Activity movies; you know from the start how badly things will end for the parties involved, but it’s the path to that ending that you’re interested in. The same can be said for the undefeated Stipe Miocic, minus the uber-violent losses of course. Miocic has been on an absolute tear since entering the UFC and has finished 2 of his 3 opponents in brutal fashion. In fact, in a combined 38 fights, the two main event players have only seen the judges scorecards twice. And Saturday night will be no different; Struve will either take this fight to the ground and try to pull off a sub or throw caution to the wind and get savaged. In either case, it will make for one incredibly entertaining fight.

2. Gunnar Freaking Nelson

Unless you are a complete MMA novice, we shouldn’t have to explain why you should be excited for the UFC debut of Gunnar Nelson. No, not that Gunnar Nelson, we’re talking about this Gunnar Nelson. But on the off chance you are a total newb, know that this fellow 9-0 prospect first broke onto the MMA scene in 2007 but didn’t gain notoriety until the 2009 ADCC trials, where he scored a huge upset over the much larger and more experienced Jeff Monson. Since then, Nelson has been single-handedly converting “Wang-and-Bang”-type MMA fans to the subtleties of BJJ with his exciting and dominating wins under the BAMMA and Cage Contender promotions. He’ll be taking on the always game TUF 9 runner-up Damarques Johnson on short notice, which, as Big John McCarthy pointed out, kind of defies the 60 day no contact suspension Johnson was handed after his vicious KO loss to Mike Swick at UFC on FOX 4 on August 4th. But if it’s good enough for the athletic commissions, it’s good enough for us!

Speaking of up-and-coming prospects…

3. There Are A Lot of Up-and-Coming Prospects on This Card

Aside from Miocic and Nelson, UFC on FUEL 5 will feature the UFC debuts of a couple highly-touted prospects as well as a fight that will determine the possible contender status of another. Making their big show debuts on Saturday will be none other than KO artist Jimi Manuwa taking on the unluckiest guy in the LHW division these days, Kyle Kingsbury, and British phenom/all around good guy Tom “Kong” Watson, who will be squaring off with TUF 11 alum Brad Tavares. “Kong” is a heavy-handed veteran of the BAMMA and Cage Rage promotions who has scored back-to-back TKO stoppages over Murilo Rua (which is getting less impressive by the day) and Jack Marshman. Tavares is fresh off a close decision victory over Dongi Yang at UFC on FUEL 3 and will be looking to erase the memory of that performance, so expect fireworks here.

Elsewhere on the card, undefeated lightweight submission whiz Paul Sass will attempt to make it 4-0 in the UFC against TUF 5′s Matt Wiman. If you have yet to see any of Sass’s performances, just think of him as a male Ronda Rousey of sorts. With a nickname like “Sassangle,” his opponents pretty much know what they’re in store for, yet seasoned vets like Michael Johnson and Jacob Volkmann could do nothing to alter their fate despite this. With an impressive win over Wiman, Sass will easily have earned a shot at a big name and a PPV main card spot down the line.

4. It’s Shit or Get Off the Pot Time For Dan Hardy and Amir Sadollah

To say that Dan Hardy and Amir Sadollah have had inconsistent UFC runs would be like saying that the CIA kinda sorta botched the Bay of Pigs ordeal. And while Sodallah’s losses have come much farther apart than Hardy’s, it’s pretty obvious that both men are in need of a career-defining performance here if they ever want to venture beyond journeyman status looking forward. Hardy was recently able to bounce back into the win column for the first time in two years with a first round KO of Duane Ludwig (who is also fighting Saturday) and we last saw Sadollah fend off the dry-humping antics of Jorge Lopez for long enough to secure a decision victory at UFC on FUEL 3. It was a terrible fight despite Sadollah’s best efforts and made next to no sense being placed as the night’s co-main, so let’s hope these two can deliver big this time around.

5. Barnburners, and Lots of ‘Em

Although UFC on FUEL 5 may not feature a ton of names that the casual fan will recognize, it does feature a bunch of fights that are all but guaranteed to deliver. Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin, Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig, Jason Young vs. Robbie Peralta — some people are gonna fall down, Potato Nation, so make sure to catch the Facebook prelims or come Monday morning you’re gonna have nothing to contribute at the water cooler, which can lead to some pretty awkward situations.

UFC on FUEL 5 kicks off at 4 p.m. EST from the Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, England.

–J. Jones

Bold Statement of the Day: Stefan Struve Knows ‘For a Fact’ That He Has a ‘Really Good Chin’


(Knocks you out in 54 seconds. Calls you “tough as hell” in the post-fight interview.)

During his three-and-a-half-year UFC career, Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve has become known for three things, and three things only:

1) Being so tall that he makes small men look like children, and small women look like toddlers. (Megan! Get off that chair this minute!)

2) Clowning one-dimensional sluggers with his knotty ground-game.

3) Eating overhand rights, then collapsing into a heap, lawn-chair style.

In fact, the combination of Struve’s aggressive grappling, underrated knockout power, and tendency to lose consciousness during fights has made him one of the least decision-prone fighters on the UFC roster; his 8-3 record in the promotion includes only one fight that went the distance, which came in his December 2009 squeaker over Paul Buentello.

But it’s impossible to ignore that the three losses on his record all came from brutal, lights-out, first-round knockouts. Does that worry Struve, who will be entering the cage this Saturday against the heavy-handed (and heavier-elbowed) Stipe Miocic at UFC on FUEL 5 in Nottingham? No, because Struve actually has a great chin, if you think about it. Allow him to explain:


(Knocks you out in 54 seconds. Calls you “tough as hell” in the post-fight interview.)

During his three-and-a-half-year UFC career, Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve has become known for three things, and three things only:

1) Being so tall that he makes small men look like children, and small women look like toddlers. (Megan! Get off that chair this minute!)

2) Clowning one-dimensional sluggers with his knotty ground-game.

3) Eating overhand rights, then collapsing into a heap, lawn-chair style.

In fact, the combination of Struve’s aggressive grappling, underrated knockout power, and tendency to lose consciousness during fights has made him one of the least decision-prone fighters on the UFC roster; his 8-3 record in the promotion includes only one fight that went the distance, which came in his December 2009 squeaker over Paul Buentello.

But it’s impossible to ignore that the three losses on his record all came from brutal, lights-out, first-round knockouts. Does that worry Struve, who will be entering the cage this Saturday against the heavy-handed (and heavier-elbowed) Stipe Miocic at UFC on FUEL 5 in Nottingham? No, because Struve actually has a great chin, if you think about it. Allow him to explain:

“I know for a fact that I’ve got a really good chin,” Struve told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I showed that in multiple fights…The shots that I got hit with by Browne and Nelson would have taken anybody down,” he said. “So that’s not something I really worry about.”

I think that when Struve says he “knows for a fact” that he’s got a strong chin, he doesn’t so much know it as believe it despite a lack of physical evidence. Because to believe otherwise would force him to seriously consider his limitations in a way that might affect his confidence on fight night. It’s a little trick that fighters do to keep the nightmares away.

Then again, when Struve says, “The shots that I got hit with by Browne and Nelson would have taken anybody down,” there’s some truth to that, obviously. The 57% knockout ratio in the heavyweight division is no coincidence — most human brains simply aren’t equipped to handle a haymaker from an angry XXXL fist without going into hibernation mode. It’s just that compared to other UFC heavyweights, Struve’s chin doesn’t seem to be any better than the next guy’s.

I mean, we’re not talking about Mark Hunt, here. We’re talking about Stefan Struve — just another big man fighting other big men, who’s already suffered a good deal of scary head trauma in his fight career. So maybe getting his brain turned off in future fights is something he should be worrying about.

[VIDEO] The ‘UFC on FUEL TV 5: Struve vs. Miocic’ Promo That Will Remind You That This Event Exists

Even though many MMA promoters are quick to resort hyperbole when talking about an upcoming card, I think it’s pretty safe to say that UFC on FUEL TV 5: Struve vs. Miocic is the most highly anticipated card of all time. Headlined by young, promising heavyweights Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic, the winner will undoubtedly be at least two more fights away from a title shot. Combined with the co-main event scrap between Dan Hardy and Amir Sadollah, a showdown between Duane Ludwig and Che Mills and the UFC debut of Gunnar Nelson, it’s no wonder that the fans can’t stop talking about this event. Hell, this event is so highly anticipated that one of the fighters on the undercard retired two days ago, presumably fearing he was unworthy of being associated with the best card in UFC history.

Before we go any further, if you guys could take a second to critique the new Cagepotato.com Sarcastic Font it would be greatly appreciated.

The UFC released an official promo to get the fans acquainted with Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic. In this video, we learn that aside from being really tall, Stefan Struve is a human destroyer who is part of the new generation of fighters. The undefeated Stipe Miocic, meanwhile, tells us that his mind is his weapon. Okay, so it’s a little cliché, but Struve vs. Miocic should be a great fight between two young, hungry fighters, which this video captures pretty well. Behold:

Even though many MMA promoters are quick to resort hyperbole when talking about an upcoming card, I think it’s pretty safe to say that UFC on FUEL TV 5: Struve vs. Miocic is the most highly anticipated card of all time. Headlined by young, promising heavyweights Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic, the winner will undoubtedly be at least two more fights away from a title shot. Combined with the co-main event scrap between Dan Hardy and Amir Sadollah, a showdown between Duane Ludwig and Che Mills and the UFC debut of Gunnar Nelson, it’s no wonder that the fans can’t stop talking about this event. Hell, this event is so highly anticipated that one of the fighters on the undercard retired two days ago, presumably fearing he was unworthy of being associated with the best card in UFC history.

Before we go any further, if you guys could take a second to critique the new Cagepotato.com Sarcastic Font it would be greatly appreciated.

The UFC released an official promo to get the fans acquainted with Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic. In this video, we learn that aside from being really tall, Stefan Struve is a human destroyer who is part of the new generation of fighters. The undefeated Stipe Miocic, meanwhile, tells us that his mind is his weapon. Okay, so it’s a little cliché, but Struve vs. Miocic should be a great fight between two young, hungry fighters, which this video captures pretty well. Behold:

UFC on FUEL TV 5 takes place on September 29 in Nottingham, England. The main card will air live on FUEL TV at 4 PM ET.

@SethFalvo

Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic Will Be *Main Event* of UFC on Fuel TV 5


“Damn it, you can listen to Triple F Life later! We need someone to pay attention to this card!” – Abraham Lincoln

Earlier this week, we asked a very simple question: Is it possible that the UFC is over-saturating its market? Perhaps the UFC’s quest to become as mainstream as, say, the NBA, is causing it to stretch its events a little thin on known names and marketable fights. Ironically, this means that it may be possible that the UFC’s attempts to draw in new fans may be repelling them.

Well, the UFC appears to have issued a pretty clear answer to this discussion.

The UFC will make its first appearance in Nottingham, England- and its first appearance in England since UFC 138- with UFC on Fuel TV 5 on September 29th. The main event? Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic.

We won’t be as pessimistic as FrontRowBrian, but…ouch.


“Damn it, you can listen to Triple F Life later! We need someone to pay attention to this card!” – Abraham Lincoln

Earlier this week, we asked a very simple question: Is it possible that the UFC is over-saturating its market? Perhaps the UFC’s quest to become as mainstream as, say, the NBA, is causing it to stretch its events a little thin on known names and marketable fights. Ironically, this means that it may be possible that the UFC’s attempts to draw in new fans may be repelling them.

Well, the UFC appears to have issued a pretty clear answer to this discussion.

The UFC will make its first appearance in Nottingham, England- and its first appearance in England since UFC 138- with UFC on Fuel TV 5 on September 29th. The main event? Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic.

We won’t be as pessimistic as FrontRowBrian, but…ouch.

This doesn’t mean that we necessarily expect this card to be boring. The main card of UFC on FX 3 was also light on star power, yet produced an exceptional night of fights. Also, considering that the two heavyweights have a combined fourteen fights in the UFC with only two of them going the distance, it looks like it’ll be a pretty fun scrap. But is a bout to determine which promising prospect deserves a step up in competition really main event material?

It’s a good thing that there’s zero chance that one of these two gets injured, am I right, you guys?

Fans in England will buy tickets to this event regardless of who is headlining, because the UFC still rarely holds live events there. But will fans in North America tune in to watch this card? For that matter, will you? Give us your two cents in the comments section.

UFC 146 Aftermath: Five Fights, Five Finishes

By Elias Cepeda


Props: MMAFighting.com

Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.

Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.

At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.

Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?

By Elias Cepeda


Props: MMAFighting.com

Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.

Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.

At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.

Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?

Mir’s dream of becoming the second ever three-time UFC heavyweight champion came crashing down on him, however, when he could not drag dos Santos down to the mat. Mir eat huge hellacious shots to the dome in the latter part of the first and into the second, until the final hammer fist prompted the ref to step in and stop the action.

It has been easy for this writer to continually underestimate dos Santos in some of his biggest bouts on account of his “only” having his hands. What are the chances, I’ve often found myself thinking, that he can go a whole fight without getting put on his back? Well, so far, those chances are much less likely than the chances that his opponents can go an entire fight without being hit by him.

When dos Santos touches an opponent, they drop. That’s the way it goes, we’ve come to learn.

Who’s next for him? How about a rematch with the man he beat to win the title, Cain Velasquez?

Cain got back on the winning track by dominating and brutalizing Antonio Silva, stopping him in the first round with ground strikes. Cain made Silva bleed his own blood, a lot of it, with elbows and punches, and by the end of the brief bout he looked like he was trying out for a horror flick.

He was trying out for a title shot, and I think he earned it. The only guy I’d rather see get it next, his AKA teammate Daniel Cormier, will be out for a long time with a broken hand.

Yeah, Velasquez vs. dos Santos would be a rematch but so what? Elite fighters often hang around the top of divisions together and, if we’re lucky, we get to see the best of the best go at it over and again.

Cain lost quickly to dos Santos last fall, but before that he was unbeaten and devastated the, at the time, invincible-looking champion Brock Lesnar. Modern-day Antonio Silva only loses to the best guys out there, like Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez and Cormier, and recently dominated Fedor Emelianenko. Taking him out so impressively counts for a lot, and with the timing working out, it is time for dos Santos vs. Velasquez II.

Roy Nelson found the mark with his over hand right early and knocked Dave Herman silly. He went in to add to the punishment on the ground but thankfully the ref got in there fast and stopped it. Only way Nelson could have added to the damage would have been to eat Herman, and we all know he’s watching his boyish figure these days.

Dan Hardy showed why he was still employed after four-straight losses in beating solid veteran Duane Ludwig via first round TKO. Hardy always come in shape, always gives an entertaining fight and has only lost to the best in the welterweight division. It has to feel good for the “Outlaw” to finally get back in the win-column. Now he can go get high as a kite. Hardy joined Nelson as a “knockout of the night,” bonus check recipient.

To pull guard in MMA you have to either be suicidal or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu boss. Paul Sass and Stefan Struve were the latter in securing submission wins off of their back at UFC 146. They shared “submission of the night,” honors. All bonus winners earned extra $70,000 checks. No “fight of the night” bonuses were given.

Jamie Varner showed why he is a former world champion by beating formerly unbeaten wrecking-ball Edson Barboza via TKO after taking the fight on short notice. Way to make a re-entry to the big leagues, Jamie. Perhaps the biggest underdog of the night, scored the huge upset.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded with the UFC to give him another fight in the organization after losing badly to Michael Bisping and he got one, against C.B. Dollaway. Miller fought well and lost a close decision to Dollaway. But still, looks like, he gone. Reports are that he pulled a stunt backstage after the fight that sealed his fate. Maybe he ran into Team Cesar Gracie.

One final note, Glover Teixeira looked great in his long-awaited UFC debut. He submitted Kyle Kingsbury with an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Is it too soon to want to see Glover against some of the best in the 205lb division?

UFC 146 – Post Fight Recap

The only surprise in the main event at UFC 146 was that Frank Mir was able to survive the first round against Junior Dos Santos. Mir attempted to take Dos Santos to the mat almost.

The only surprise in the main event at UFC 146 was that Frank Mir was able to survive the first round against Junior Dos Santos. Mir attempted to take Dos Santos to the mat almost immediately after the fight began but was never close to succeeding. Dos Santos stuffed the attempt easily and from that point, Mir seemed to resign himself to being unable to ground his opponent and spent the next six minutes playing a dangerous game. He stood in front of Dos Santos without utilizing much motion. He managed to land a few low kicks and touched Dos Santos with his jab but the conclusion of the fight seemed inevitable. Dos Santos was obviously not threatened by Mir’s striking and waited patiently for his opportunity to attack. He landed his first big punch at the end of the first round and followed with a flurry that pushed Mir back against the cage. The fight would have ended there if not for the bell signaling the end of the round. One would think that after feeling Dos Santos’ power, Mir would come out in the second round and desperately try to drag the fight to the ground. Instead, Mir employed the same strategy of standing in front of his opponent throwing low kicks. Predictably, the champion eventually landed a counter right hand that sent Mir reeling. Dos Santos landed a few more punches on the ground and Mir seemed to lose his bearings in the cage as he rolled toward nowhere in particular. Dos Santos used the opportunity to land one last hammer fist before Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight. He probably could have let it go on longer but the outcome was inevitable and the stoppage saved Mir from suffering the brutal knockout that was clearly on its way. Mir will continue to be a fixture in the UFC heavyweight division but he doesn’t have the tools to be a champion in this era of MMA. Dos Santos will await the UFC’s decision as to who he will fight next. That fight will likely come against either Alistair Overeem after his nine month suspension or Cain Velasquez after his performance in the fight preceding Dos Santos’.

Cain Velasquez earned a gory victory over Antonio Silva with a first round TKO. Silva started the fight with a kick. Velasquez caught it and put Silva on his back. Silva appeared to be defending well until Velasquez slipped an elbow through his guard and opened a huge gushing cut on the bridge of Silva’s nose. The blood squirted from the cut directly into both of Silva’s eyes and made it impossible for him to defend himself. Velasquez took advantage and eventually was able to land several big punches in a row to earn the first round stoppage. This fight will undoubtedly reopen the debate as to the place of elbows on the ground in the sport but the real story is whether this performance was enough to earn Velasquez an immediate title shot rematch against Dos Santos. Alistair Overeem will return from his suspension in nine months and the UFC seems determined to give him the opportunity to fight for its belt despite the fact that Overeem is widely considered to be one the sport’s most blatant PED users. Many people within the sport speculated that a decisive victory by Velasquez would earn him the next title shot ahead of Overeem. The question coming out of this fight is how much of a statement did he make. The elbow that cut Silva was a glancing blow and had it not opened a freakish cut, who knows how the rest of the fight would have progressed. We may have seen a different outcome if Silva hadn’t been blinded by his own blood. But the elbow did cause the cut and Velasquez did exactly what he was supposed to do by seizing the opportunity to finish the fight. The UFC will have a difficult decision to make as to who deserves the next title shot but the one certainty is that the heavyweight division is deeper than ever before and several different interesting matchups are available.

Roy Nelson is a fan favorite for a reason. Actually, for several reasons. Fans love his belly, his beard and his right hand. Against Dave Herman, we got to see all three of them. But only for a short period of time. Nelson dispatched Herman in less than a minute with an overhand right flash knockout. The fight didn’t leave much room for analysis and because it was so short, we didn’t really learn anything about either fighter. Herman is a good fighter and anyone can get caught with a punch. Based on the short amount of time we got to see him fight, he seemed to have a good gameplan of trying to use his length to keep Nelson on the outside. We also didn’t learn anything new about Nelson. He has always had power in his hands and when he lands on the chin, the body to which that chin is attached usually crumples. Every Nelson victory is a victory for the fans who want him to remain in the UFC as long as possible and a knockout like that is the best way to secure his place on the biggest stage.

Stipe Miocic continued to progress through the UFC’s heavyweight division with a second round TKO victory over Shane Del Rosario. Del Rosario won the first round by repeatedly landing heavy kicks to Miocic’s body and legs. Miocic’s only weapon in that first round was his right hand and he was unable to land it cleanly. At the end of the first round, Miocic realized he could use his wrestling to easily put Del Rosario on his back and from that point on, Miocic completely controlled the fight. He took Del Rosario down again early in the second round and earned the victory by pummeling his opponent with hammer fists and elbows from the half guard. Del Rosario was unable to mount any defense and never really attempted to sweep or even regain full guard. If he hopes to compete in the UFC, he will need to put forth a better effort that he showed in this fight as he seemed to stop fighting once Miocic gained top position. For Miocic, this was an improvement over his last performance and he has showed growth in each of his UFC fights thus far. He is ready for a stiffer test and if he continues to improve, he could develop into an interesting presence in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

Going into the main card opener between Lavar Johnson and Stefan Struve, everyone who follows MMA knew that the fight had two possible outcomes. Either Johnson was going to land a punch and knock out Struve or Struve was going to get the fight to the ground and finish with a submission. Johnson did start aggressively and pushed Struve back against the cage with a flurry of punches. He landed one decent right hand but nothing clean enough to drop Struve. Having felt a hint of his opponent’s power, Struve grabbed an overhook and jumped guard. He pulled Johnson to the mat and quickly locked on to an arm bar to win the fight via first round submission. Struve did exactly what he needed to do in this fight and while he didn’t necessarily prove anything or show any growth, he did add a win to his record and earn the right to continue moving forward in the heavyweight division. If Johnson refuses to acknowledge the ground game, he will quickly find his way out of the UFC and back to smaller shows as a part of fights designed to put two big men in a cage and see who falls first. Hopefully, he’ll choose to work on the weak aspects of his game and come back with a skill set that can keep him competing at the highest level.