Rising heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou will not be facing Stefan Struve in the UFC’s return to Stockholm, Sweden.
Swedish website MMA NYTT reported on Thursday that UFC heavyweight prospect Francis Ngannou will be taking on veteran Stefan Struve at UFC Stockholm on Saturday, May 28th. However, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani tweeted that reports of the fight happening are not accurate, but the matchup has been discussed.
Ngannou later tweeted (in French) that he’s not aware of the Struve booking, either. To kill off the report once and for all, Struve announced to his fans that he is aiming to return in the summer.
Ngannou (10-1) has emerged as a top-10 caliber heavyweight, having made his MMA debut just four years ago. He is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC, with four of those victories coming by KO or TKO. His last outing was a 92-second mauling of former UFC champion Andrei Arlovskiat UFC on FOX 24 in Denver.
Struve (28-8) has won his last two fights, quickly knocking out Antonio Silva last May, then choking out Daniel Omielanczuk in October. “The Skyscraper” was supposed to face Junior dos Santos in the UFC Halifax main event, but had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. As of this writing, Struve is the #11 heavyweight in the UFC’s official rankings, whereas Ngannou is #6.
UFC Stockholm is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira. It is unknown whether or not the event will stream live on UFC FIght Pass or on Fox Sports 1.
More News
UFC269: Venezuelan Julianna Peña Submits Brazilian Amanda Nunes, Becomes the new UFC World Champion
Oliveira, Poitier Make Weight for UFC World Title
Hot UFC269: this Saturday Oliveira vs Poirier Ready for War in Las Vegas