In February, UFC president Dana White proclaimed all Octagon main events would begin to be of the five round variety – regardless if there was a championship belt on the line or not. Stefan Struve (Pictured) will be headlining his first show since the rule change when he battles Stipe Miocic in Nottingham.
While it’s possible Struve’s workload could increase by 40 percent on Saturday, he certainly isn’t looking to go the whole 25 minutes.
“Five round fight? It’s not a five round fight. This isn’t going five,” Struve stated during Wednesday’s media workouts. “It is a one or two round fight, depending on when I finish him. I am not worried about going five rounds.
“If it happens, I hit pads for an hour at a time and every Thursday at my gym it is pretty much fight night where we do 15, five-minute rounds. I’ve changed nothing in my training. If it goes longer, okay, but I think this is a quick fight.”
The “Skyscraper” hasn’t allowed the judges to determine his fate since beating Paul Buentello via majority decision in December 2009. It’s clear he’s not looking to buck that trend now, especially since Struve believes an impressive victory over the undefeated Croatian will catapult him up the heavyweight totem pole.
“A win here puts me in the top five in the world,” Struve expressed. “There’s a lot of hype on [Miocic] and he’s also coming off a big win. I’m only 24, but this is my twelfth fight in the UFC. I am going to do my business on Saturday night.
“I’ve been in the UFC for five years and I am really putting it together now as a mixed martial artist. I think this fight is a great showcase of what I can now do as a fighter.”
Struve will be riding a three-fight winning streak into the 265-pound affair. He has rattled off victories in five of his last six scraps, with his most recent W coming in May’s submission over Lavar Johnson.
Capital FM Arena in England hosts Saturday’s festivities.
Original Story:
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September 29, 2012
