UFC Rotterdam – A closer look at Alexander Volkov vs Stefan Struve

In what can be ideally billed as the 'biggest' fight this year, we have two of the tallest men on the roster going head to head in the main event of UFC Rotterdam, when the world's biggest fight promotion makes its return to Netherlands after over a year.

Both men are very similar, not just in size, but also in terms of age and the amount of experience they have under their belt at such a young age. Struve, the local star is a UFC veteran at this point and has a huge 'claim to fame' win over the current reigning UFC Heavyweight champ, Stipe Miocic from a few years ago.

Volkov, a veteran in his own right, is a former Bellator Heavyweight champion and extremely well-rounded a la his opponent. His time in the UFC has been dotted with a couple of wins, none more impressive than the decision win over UFC veteran Roy Nelson in his last fight. Volkov is extremely skilled on the feet and while not necessarily a scary finisher, has good ability to control the distance.

On the feet, I'll have to give the edge to Volkov who apart from being great at managing distance is also very mobile for a big guy and rarely is in trouble. However, on the mat, Struve has one of the best offensive guards and an uncanny ability to catch opponents in sneaky submissions. His striking too is efficient but has shown problems in the past with his tendency to tire out, especially owing to the history of problems with his heart.

Given that it is a main-event fight in front of his home crowd, Struve will be buoyed by the support he receives from his countrymen and women. But he has a huge task in front of him in the form of the strapping Russian, who I feel is coming into his prime right now. It'll be a tough fight for the Moscow native, but he should get the win over another top 10 UFC opponent.

Prediction: Alexander Volkov wins via TKO 2nd round.

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