Stefan Struve officially announces retirement from MMA
Former UFC heavyweight contender Stefan Struve took to his social media on Monday to officially announce his retirement from MMA.
Struve shared with his fans on social media that, after consulting with his team and family, he has made the difficult choice to retire. According to Struve, the UFC recently contacted him asking if he wanted to take another fight, but Struve declined it. The Dutchman pointed to injuries as the culprit behind him walking away from the sport. He is putting his health first after years of fighting at the highest level of mixed martial arts, and at this point, that means that he is hanging up his gloves. Check out Struve’s post below.
What’s up everyone. I got an announcement to make today. It was a little too long so I had to improvise, you can read more in the attachement. I have decided to retire from professional fighting. Thank you all for the support 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/z2eZAALUoP
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) February 15, 2021
Stefan Struve: “What’s up everyone. I got an announcement to make today. It was a little too long so I had to improvise, you can read more in the attachment. I have decided to retire from professional fighting. Thank you all for the support”
Struve (29-13) retires at age 32 after beginning his professional mixed martial career as a teenager. After going 16-2 on the European regional scene, fighting for promotions such as M-1, the UFC signed Struve and he made his Octagon debut in 2009 against Junior dos Santos. Standing at 7’0″, “The Skyscraper” was known as the tallest fighter on the UFC roster for many years. Between 2011 and 2020, Struve was one of the most active heavyweights in the organization. Overall, he racked up a positive 13-11 record inside the UFC during his 12 years in the promotion. However, he lost five of his last six fights before his retirement.
In 2011, Struve picked up what was the biggest win of his career when he knocked out Stipe Miocic in Nottingham. He also has other notable wins over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Silva, and Pat Barry. One of the most exciting heavyweights win-or-lose during his time with the promotion, Struve also won eight post-fight bonuses during his UFC career, living up to his reputation as a fan favorite.
What was your favorite Stefan Struve memory in the UFC?
