Tag: Stephan Struve

UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: What’s Next for Stefan Struve

Stefan Struve is on quite a nice run as of late. The win over Stipe Miocic was Struve’s fourth-straight victory in the UFC. Also, all of Struve’s recent wins have come before the final bell with two submission victories mixed in with two TKO finishes.M…

Stefan Struve is on quite a nice run as of late. The win over Stipe Miocic was Struve‘s fourth-straight victory in the UFC. Also, all of Struve‘s recent wins have come before the final bell with two submission victories mixed in with two TKO finishes.

Miocic presented a problem that Struve had previously struggled to overcome in his career—power punches. Miocic is an accomplished boxer who can hit hard, and Struve had struggled to protect his chin while standing above the competition.

Struve took some shots early on and was rocked in the second round, but persevered through the adversity. Just as Jon Anik and Kenny Florian said in the post-fight press conference, Struve is growing as a fighter each time he steps into the Octagon.

We already knew he was a slick submission artist, able to utilize his lanky arms and legs, but showcased his striking game against Miocic. Possessing great height usually translates to a lack of power in the punches, but that didn’t seem to apply to Struve on Saturday.

Another obstacle Struve seemed to overcome was winning when he was picked to be the favorite. Every time Struve seemed to be able to get momentum going in his career, a fight with someone like this always seems to cause him to stumble back down the rankings.

With four-straight victories, Struve is poised to finally be “in the mix.” His physical gifts are well known as is his ground game, but now Struve appears to have a complimentary striking game as well. He still needs to work on fully utilizing his height on the feet, but fighting tall isn’t an easy skill to acquire.

Struve mentioned fighting Fabricio Werdum in the post-fight press conference, but that would be a huge step up in competition for Struve. If he feels he’s ready for the kind of fighter that Werdum is, then more power to him and the UFC for putting that match up together.

With many of the top contenders already having scheduled bouts, I wouldn’t mind seeing him face Mark Hunt (a match up previously put together on the UFC 146 card), once Hunt returns from his injury.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: What We Learned from Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic

Stefan Struve took a while to get warmed up but eventually found his groove against Stipe Miocic. The Dutchman took a number of good shots in the first round from Miocic, but that all changed in the second round.Struve hurt Miocic, but was hurt himself…

Stefan Struve took a while to get warmed up but eventually found his groove against Stipe Miocic. The Dutchman took a number of good shots in the first round from Miocic, but that all changed in the second round.

Struve hurt Miocic, but was hurt himself by a counter from Miocic when attempting to close out the fight. Struve regrouped and eventually secured the finish with a number of powerful punches and uppercuts.

What We Learned From Stefan Struve:

Struve was picked to win this fight by a majority of MMA pundits. This was the type of fight that in the past, Struve would let slip away. He’d find some way to lose and return to mediocrity in the heavyweight division.

That all changed tonight as Struve showed his maturity as a fighter, waiting to find an opening against a game Miocic. When the opening did present itself, Struve was rocked by a Miocic punch.

It was a moment we’ve seen before, the seven-foot Struve struggling to tuck his chin and finding himself in a world of hurt. This time however, Struve was able to regroup and reengage Miocic. Another opportunity presented itself and Struve was able to capitalize for the finish.

The win for Struve proves that his striking game is finally coming around to where he won’t have to depend on pulling guard like he did against Lavar Johnson. He still needs to work on fighting like a seven-foot fighter, but it’s nice to see some progress.

What We Learned From Stipe Miocic:

There’s no shame in losing to a talented fighter like Struve. It was a big step up in competition for Miocic and he just simply isn’t ready for the upper-tier guys in the heavyweight division.

He was able to get his striking game going in the first round, but it all fell apart in the second frame. Miocic took a number of good shots from Struve but also landed a few of his own.

Miocic will learn from this defeat and become a better fighter because of it. He doesn’t have to go back to the drawing board and completely change his style, but Miocic will definitely need to work on his striking defense.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel TV Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Sanchez vs. Ellenberger

The UFC made its debut on Fuel TV earlier this year when the channel played host to the preliminary fights prior to UFC on FOX, but Wednesday night was the first time when Fuel TV got its own full fight card. The event headlined by welterweights Jake …

The UFC made its debut on Fuel TV earlier this year when the channel played host to the preliminary fights prior to UFC on FOX, but Wednesday night was the first time when Fuel TV got its own full fight card.

The event headlined by welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez lived up to the quality of a typical UFC event as there were numerous impressive finishes and exciting bouts.

In the end it was Jake Ellenberger who was the big winner of the night, earning a victory in the main event and further cementing himself as one of the top welterweight contenders in the sport.

He wasn’t the only winner, though, and a few of the biggest winners and losers didn’t even compete on the February 15 fight card. Let’s take a closer look at who the real winners and losers were from UFC on Fuel TV.  

Begin Slideshow

UFC on FUEL TV: Weigh-In Results & Video


(Diego Sanchez is like the movie Inception: A dream inside of a nightmare inside two more dreams which are actually nightmares. Photos courtesy of MMAJunkie.com)

All fighters made weight at yesterday’s UFC on FUELTV weigh-ins, which seemed to sail by at a faster pace than normal. Maybe it was the lack of name power, or perhaps it was the absence of the usual drama and near brawls that we have become accustomed to over the past few weeks. In either case, it was a reserved, quiet evening for all participants involved. Except Diego Sanchez. He doesn’t do “reserved.”

Instead, we were treated to what appeared to be a night of MMA fighters mimicking the looks of pseudo-celebrities. Sean Loeffler came out posing as the singer from Crazy Town, making it rain on the audience like they were the 2 a.m. shift at Scores, and Jonathan Brookins stuck with the Geico Caveman look that has gotten him some fine honeys up to this point. But the most bizarre shift in appearance undoubtedly went to Ed Herman, who pulled off Neil Fallon TO PERFECTION.*

Dave Herman
(BANG BANG BANG BANG! VAMANOS VAMANOS!)

Join us after the jump for the full weigh in video and results.


(Diego Sanchez is like the movie Inception: A dream inside of a nightmare inside two more dreams which are actually nightmares. Photos courtesy of MMAJunkie.com)

All fighters made weight at yesterday’s UFC on FUELTV weigh-ins, which seemed to sail by at a faster pace than normal. Maybe it was the lack of name power, or perhaps it was the absence of the usual drama and near brawls that we have become accustomed to over the past few weeks. In either case, it was a reserved, quiet evening for all participants involved. Except Diego Sanchez. He doesn’t do “reserved.”

Instead, we were treated to what appeared to be a night of MMA fighters mimicking the looks of pseudo-celebrities. Sean Loeffler came out posing as the singer from Crazy Town, making it rain on the audience like they were the 2 a.m. shift at Scores, and Jonathan Brookins stuck with the Geico Caveman look that has gotten him some fine honeys up to this point. But the most bizarre shift in appearance undoubtedly went to Ed Herman, who pulled off Neil Fallon TO PERFECTION.*

Dave Herman
(BANG BANG BANG BANG! VAMANOS VAMANOS!)

UFC on FUELTV Weigh-In

(skip to 17:12 for the start, unless you REALLY want to hear Jay Glazer’s breakdown of the card, which starts at 10:00.) 

Main Card (on Fuel TV):
-Diego Sanchez (170) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170)
–Stefan Struve (256) vs. Dave Herman (234)
–Aaron Simpson (186) vs. Ronny Markes (185)
-Stipe Miocic (240) vs. Phil De Fries (241)
–T.J. Dillashaw (136) vs. Walel Watson (135)
-Ivan Menjivar (135) vs. John Albert (135)

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
–Jonathan Brookins (145) vs. Vagner Rocha (145)
-Buddy Roberts (184) vs. Sean Loeffler (185)
-Anton Kuivanen (156) vs. Justin Salas (155)
-Tim Means (155) vs. Bernardo Magalhaes (155)

The prelims for the event are set to kick off tonight around 6:20 p.m. EST on Facebook, with the FUEL broadcast beginning at 8:00 p.m.

*To any, let’s call them “new” viewers of CP, I do not actually believe the fighters were trying to mimic these celebrities. That would be just silly. Glad I could clear that up.

-J. Jones 

UFC on FUEL TV: Stefan Struve vs. Dave Herman Technical Breakdown

This Wednesday, Feb. 15, the UFC expands their programming on FUEL with the first UFC on FUEL TV, featuring Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger.But first, in the co-main event of the evening, Dave Herman returns to the Octagon following his successful d…

This Wednesday, Feb. 15, the UFC expands their programming on FUEL with the first UFC on FUEL TV, featuring Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger.

But first, in the co-main event of the evening, Dave Herman returns to the Octagon following his successful debut against John-Olav Einemo. Herman was set to face Mike Russow at UFC 136, but the fight was cancelled after Herman failed a preliminary drug test, having tested positive for marijuana.

Now, Herman faces Stefan Struve, who is coming off of a submission victory over Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 6. Struve, 6-3 in the UFC, is looking to continue his path to the top of the heavyweight division.

So, what will happen when the big boys go toe-to-toe? Let’s take it point by point…

 

Striking

Neither man is one to shy away from a slugfest, though Herman’s 15 knockouts and only one knockout loss are hard to ignore when compared to Struve’s five knockouts and four knockout losses.

Should Herman find his way to Struve’s chin, it could be a quick night for the Dutchman, though Herman will have to contend with something that few men hold over him: Struve’s seven-inch height and reach advantage. 

Struve’s best chance at winning the standup fight is to keep Herman on the outside, pick him apart with shots and not allow him to get inside and trade shot-for-shot.

However, Struve hasn’t historically shown a good ability to utilize his jab and keep his opponent from getting to his chin. I don’t expect this fight to be any different and think Herman will be able to land on Struve with power, though he may eat a few shots on the way.

Edge: Herman

 

Grappling

The exact opposite of their striking successes, Struve has 15 submission victories to Herman’s five. Utilizing his long limbs, Struve has earned a majority of his submission wins via triangle choke. He doesn’t often look for takedowns, but, if planted on his back, Struve’s guard is a dangerous place to play.

Herman is no slouch when it comes to grappling, training as he does with all of the notable wrestlers at Team Quest. But knowing Struve is dangerous on the ground, Herman won’t likely look to shoot for takedowns. He’ll also have to keep Struve from grabbing a hold of him and pulling guard or taking his back, though that shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

Ultimately, Struve poses the larger threat on the ground, and his heavily guard-based submission game will likely be enough to keep Herman from engaging in a prolonged ground battle.

Edge: Struve

 

Toughness

In my opinion, this is a much more even category than the others. Both Struve and Herman are very durable and can take a lot of damage.

As demonstrated against Christian Morecraft, Struve is able to take a round-long beating and come back hard to get a win. Similarly, Herman showed a sizable heart against Einemo, recovering from a big knee to finish Einemo.

It’s hard to say which fighter can ultimately take more damage. But, given Herman’s punching power, I don’t like Struve’s chances should the two decide to get into an iron-chin competition.

Edge: Herman

 

This should be an exciting, tough fight, with each fighter capable of stopping of the fight anywhere. When all is said and done, I think Herman’s power and toughness will shine through. If he can get inside of Struve’s reach and defend against any submissions Struve throws up, I like him to get a second- or third-round stoppage.

Pick: Herman by KO

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Booking Roundup: Herman vs. Struve at UFC on FUEL, Dunham vs. Sass at UFC on Fox 2

Dave Herman UFC steroids
(Believe me when I tell you that I take each and every fight with 100% seriousness.)

On the heels of his second round Fight of the Night earning performance over John Olav Einemo at UFC 131, Dave Herman had a bit of momentum going for him. The Team Quest boldly claimed that “Jiu Jitsu doesn’t work” and then proceeded to handily defeat an ADCC champion in his UFC debut. But Herman’s hype train was nearly derailed in September, when he tested positive for marijuana and steroids in the aftermath of his aforementioned win over Einemo. The details surrounding his testing were sketchy to say the least, but in light of the circumstances he was pulled out of his UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow nonetheless. Well it seems “Peewee’s” pee is now clean, as he has been booked for a fight with Dutch submission specialist Stefan Struve for the UFC’s debut on FuelTV this February.

Dave Herman UFC steroids
(Believe me when I tell you that I take each and every fight with 100% seriousness.)

On the heels of his second round Fight of the Night earning performance over John Olav Einemo at UFC 131, Dave Herman had a bit of momentum going for him. The Team Quest boldly claimed that “Jiu Jitsu doesn’t work” and then proceeded to handily defeat an ADCC champion in his UFC debut. But Herman’s hype train was nearly derailed in September, when he tested positive for marijuana and steroids in the aftermath of his aforementioned win over Einemo. The details surrounding his testing were sketchy to say the least, but in light of the circumstances he was pulled out of his UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow nonetheless. Well it seems “Peewee’s” pee is now clean, as he has been booked for a fight with Dutch submission specialist Stefan Struve for the UFC’s debut on FuelTV this February.

Herman has won six of his last seven and will be looking to score the biggest win of his career over Struve, who most recently submitted our good friend Pat Barry at UFC Live 6 in October. Prior to that, Struve was on the receiving end of a highlight reel superman punch KO at the hands of Travis Browne, so a win here is necessary unless he wants to start dreaming up ways to make 205.

In other booking news, lightweight contender Evan Dunham and undefeated British submission specialist Paul Sass have agreed to meet one another at UFC on Fox 2, which transpires January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Dunham recently snapped a two fight losing streak at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger, where he outstruck TUF 13 contestant Shamar Bailey handily en route to a unanimous decision.

Sass, on the other hand, is fresh off a brilliant first round heel hook victory over TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson, also at UFC Live 6. “Sassangle” has posted an incredible eight wins via triangle, including a win over Mark Holst at UFC 120. His Jiu Jitsu game will all but be nullified by Dunham, however, who is a black belt in BJJ and has scored six submission wins of his own, including an armbar win over TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero.

The UFC’s debut on FuelTV is headlined by a bout between top welterweight contenders Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger, and goes down February 15th at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

-Danga