Two of heavyweight
division’s largest fighters will meet when the 6’11, Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve,
steps into the octagon with 6’7, Sean Mccorkle.
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UFC: Struve vs. Mccorkle for
Heavyweight Supremacy
Stefan
"Skyscraper" Struve will be taking on UFC newcomer, Sean Mccorkle, in
the co-main event of the night. Leading up to the fight it’s unknown how Struve
will handle an opponent with similar height and grappling strengths. The 6’11
Holland native may have grown accustomed to towering over the majority of his opponents
, but Mccorkle ,6’7 himself, may take some adjusting to.
Easily the largest
move on the board, Stefan Struve’s transition from a -260 as the UFC betting odds favorite down
to -155 has left many observers puzzled. It’s tough to pin-point how much of
that has to do with Mccorkle’s recent upset victory and how much of it is specifically
because of any potential match-up problems.
For those
that are brave enough to bet against each fighters 90% finish rate, 5dimes has
offered +363 on the fight going the full distance.
Fighter Breakdown
Although he suffered
a devastating K.O loss in his UFC debut, Struve has since impressed the fans by
reeling off an impressive 4-1 record. In two of those victories he showed great
will by coming back from the brink of defeat. Just recently he earned his first
UFC-knockout in one of those comebacks against Christian Morecraft.
The most
important thing about Stefan is his finishing ability. His long limbs have
provided an extremely dangerous arsenal of submissions. Of his 19 total
victories, Stefan has won 14 of them by way of submission, nearly a 70% percent
submission win rate. Based off of the single decision on his record, it’s safe
to assume that Stefan will either finish Mccorkle or be finished himself.
Surprisingly, Mccorkle has put together a finishing rate that’s just asimpressive. Through
ten fights; he has 4 knockouts and 5 submissions on his resume. The only decision on his record came back in 2006 against Jeremy Norton.
To the shock
of many, Mccorkle recently pulled of an upset over the kickboxing legend, Mark
Hunt. Previously thought to be merely a showcase opponent for Hunt, Mccorkle
not only weathered the early onslaught but eventually locked in a crushing
Kimura that forced a tap. His greatest assets would appear to be his strength
and grappling ability. Against a fighter with Mccorkle’s skillset, Struve’s
long limbs could actually end up being a determent.
UFC Fight Prediction
One way or
another, Stefan has been put on his back by the majority of his opponents, but its
debatable just how good Mccorkle’s takedowns really
are. His takedown against Hunt was more
of a result of him pulling guard/Hunt falling on top of him. I don’t think
Mccorkle has much to threaten with outside of a few submission attempts. Look
for Stefan Struve to either finish this fight by an early submission or a late
knockout.
My Free UFC pick: Stefan
Struve -160 (pinnacle .com)