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http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/5/2...contemplated-different-career-ufc-heavyweight
Stefan Struve may only be 28-years-old, but he's in the 11th year of his career, having made his debut when he was just 17. During that time, the 7 foot tall "Skyscraper" has logged an impressive 27-8 record, with his most recent win coming by way of a 16-second knockout over Antonio Silva. It was exactly as he'd predicted in the days leading up to the fight, and it was something he felt he needed; a dominant performance to begin his ascension up the title ladder.
It wasn't too long ago that Struve had contemplated getting out of the fight game, though. The later months of 2013 and well into 2014 were emotionally and physically challenging for him. It was discovered that he was suffering from a heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve. He was put on a round of medication for a few months to treat the condition. Shortly before he was cleared to fight, his father lost his battle with cancer in October, 2013.
Stefan was cleared to fight in early 2014 and scheduled to face Matt Mitrione in July on the UFC 175 card, but he ended up feinting in the locker room, and was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. His return to Octagon action was in December 2014, and has seen him go 2-2 since then.
In a recent interview with the Three Amigos Podcast, Struve talked about that dark period in his life, how he was questioning his career path and how his team convinced him it wasn't time to hang up his gloves yet.
"Oh yeah, 100%. Multiple times. Even after the fight against Jared Rosholt, I told my corner after the fight, 'What the fuck was I just doing? This just doesn't make sense to me.' They talked me out of it. They're like, 'Everybody can have a bad day. You're getting there, we see that in the gym. You may not be there now, but just keep going, we know what you've got, and you can be the champion of this division.'
In that time span when I was out so long, then I came back, passed out before the fight with [Matt Mitrione], fought [Alistair Overeem] and lost, I really had to do something. I told myself, 'Make the move to the States now. If you don't do it now, you will never find out how good you can really be.' I've been through all that. I kept telling myself, 'Just keep going.' Even at times where the end was not in sight, and I had no idea what to do, there was always something that kept me going, and I'm pretty sure that's the love I have for this sport -- that I'm doing something I really love and cherish, that I fully believe in myself, and that my best years are going to come up now. "
There were many other topics discussed in this excellent interview:
Thoughts on the big KO win over Bigfoot
Thoughts on Bigfoot's Instagram rant challenging fans to fight him
If he feels he's entering a new era in his career
Candid discussion about the dark years facing a serious heart condition & death of his father
How his time with the Blackzilians has been
Discussion on being a 6-time performance bonus winner
How he thinks Miocic/Werdum will play out
Discussion on one of his early career fights where he was fishhooked
Resting his nagging injuries
Rematch discussion
Who he'd like to face next
Where he sees himself in three years
Soccer discussion
Podcast at link. (1:19:40)
/
Lol Struve got an easy win, co main event in front of a home crowd and now he thinks he is the dog's b*****ks. He got that freak win against Miocic, then his last 5 fights were 2 meaningless wins against Bigfoot and Big Nog who should both have retired several years ago, 2 (T)KO losses and a helpless domination decision loss by Rosholt, who has been cut. Before Miocic no disrespect but he was fighting irrelevant guys, and the odd time he fought someone legit he got savagely (T)KOed.
I have never pretended to like Struve but I think it is an objective fact that he does not belong in the UFC and should really retire from MMA, or at least go to Japan, bulk up and take some SHW fights with more pay and less risk. He has a heart defect, he has been KOed very hard multiple times, he had that elevated heart rate panic fainting attack, he never achieves anything with his BJJ, he is sh*t at stopping takedowns and gets destroyed by legit strikers. He just doesn't have the athleticism or coordination to deal with them.
Stefan Struve may only be 28-years-old, but he's in the 11th year of his career, having made his debut when he was just 17. During that time, the 7 foot tall "Skyscraper" has logged an impressive 27-8 record, with his most recent win coming by way of a 16-second knockout over Antonio Silva. It was exactly as he'd predicted in the days leading up to the fight, and it was something he felt he needed; a dominant performance to begin his ascension up the title ladder.
It wasn't too long ago that Struve had contemplated getting out of the fight game, though. The later months of 2013 and well into 2014 were emotionally and physically challenging for him. It was discovered that he was suffering from a heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve. He was put on a round of medication for a few months to treat the condition. Shortly before he was cleared to fight, his father lost his battle with cancer in October, 2013.
Stefan was cleared to fight in early 2014 and scheduled to face Matt Mitrione in July on the UFC 175 card, but he ended up feinting in the locker room, and was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. His return to Octagon action was in December 2014, and has seen him go 2-2 since then.
In a recent interview with the Three Amigos Podcast, Struve talked about that dark period in his life, how he was questioning his career path and how his team convinced him it wasn't time to hang up his gloves yet.
"Oh yeah, 100%. Multiple times. Even after the fight against Jared Rosholt, I told my corner after the fight, 'What the fuck was I just doing? This just doesn't make sense to me.' They talked me out of it. They're like, 'Everybody can have a bad day. You're getting there, we see that in the gym. You may not be there now, but just keep going, we know what you've got, and you can be the champion of this division.'
In that time span when I was out so long, then I came back, passed out before the fight with [Matt Mitrione], fought [Alistair Overeem] and lost, I really had to do something. I told myself, 'Make the move to the States now. If you don't do it now, you will never find out how good you can really be.' I've been through all that. I kept telling myself, 'Just keep going.' Even at times where the end was not in sight, and I had no idea what to do, there was always something that kept me going, and I'm pretty sure that's the love I have for this sport -- that I'm doing something I really love and cherish, that I fully believe in myself, and that my best years are going to come up now. "
There were many other topics discussed in this excellent interview:
Thoughts on the big KO win over Bigfoot
Thoughts on Bigfoot's Instagram rant challenging fans to fight him
If he feels he's entering a new era in his career
Candid discussion about the dark years facing a serious heart condition & death of his father
How his time with the Blackzilians has been
Discussion on being a 6-time performance bonus winner
How he thinks Miocic/Werdum will play out
Discussion on one of his early career fights where he was fishhooked
Resting his nagging injuries
Rematch discussion
Who he'd like to face next
Where he sees himself in three years
Soccer discussion
Podcast at link. (1:19:40)
/
Lol Struve got an easy win, co main event in front of a home crowd and now he thinks he is the dog's b*****ks. He got that freak win against Miocic, then his last 5 fights were 2 meaningless wins against Bigfoot and Big Nog who should both have retired several years ago, 2 (T)KO losses and a helpless domination decision loss by Rosholt, who has been cut. Before Miocic no disrespect but he was fighting irrelevant guys, and the odd time he fought someone legit he got savagely (T)KOed.
I have never pretended to like Struve but I think it is an objective fact that he does not belong in the UFC and should really retire from MMA, or at least go to Japan, bulk up and take some SHW fights with more pay and less risk. He has a heart defect, he has been KOed very hard multiple times, he had that elevated heart rate panic fainting attack, he never achieves anything with his BJJ, he is sh*t at stopping takedowns and gets destroyed by legit strikers. He just doesn't have the athleticism or coordination to deal with them.
