So much for Junior dos Santos’ stepping stone.
A heavyweight rematch between “Cigano” and Stefan Struve was set for a UFC Fight Night event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Combate is now reporting that the bout has been scrapped. “Skyscraper” is out with a shoulder injury.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is looking for a replacement. In their first encounter back in Feb. 2009, dos Santos earned a TKO win over Struve in 54 seconds.
Struve’s injury will prevent him from going for his third straight victory for now. After getting knocked out in back-to-back bouts with Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem, many wondered how the “Skyscraper” would respond to the finishes. He bested Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but he fell short against Jared Rosholt. Two straight finishes over Antonio Silva and Daniel Omielanczuk put Struve back on track.
After two devastating and brutal losses to Cain Velasquez and a knockout loss at the hands of Overeem, many fans called for “Cigano” to call it a career. He answered those concerns by beating Ben Rothwell from pillar to post for five rounds. It was his first win since Dec. 2014. That victory was a controversial unanimous decision against current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
The UFC Fight Night event in Halifax will take place on Feb. 19 inside the Scotiabank Centre. Former women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza will try to earn her second straight victory. Her opponent will be Randa Markos, who will look to rebound from her Aug. 2016 loss at UFC 202. The card will also feature a middleweight bout between Cezar Ferreira and Elias Theodorou.
Another 185-pound clash will see Jack Marshman do battle with Thiago Santos. Welterweights will also trade leather inside the Octagon. The two 170-pound bruisers will be Santiago Ponzinibbio and Nordine Taleb. Ponzinibbio is riding a three-fight winning streak, while Taleb is vying for his second win in a row.
