ABU DHABI – Stefan Struve likes his odds for Saturday night.
The heavyweight veteran feels confident about his matchup with Tai Tuivasa at UFC 254. Struve (29-12 MMA, 13-10 UFC) thinks if he’s on point he should be able to top Tuivasa anywhere the fight takes place.
“He’s an exciting fighter, he always brings something to the table that not a lot of people have, and that’s personality to his fighting style,” Struve told reporters, including MMA Junkie, when asked about his opponent at UFC 254 media day.
“I think it’s a good matchup for me. If I fight the way I should fight and the way I was fighting Rothwell, because before the low blows he didn’t get a single shot with me, if I fight like that, Tuivasa ain’t touching me either. And everybody agrees, if I take him down, it’s going to be a bad night for him.”
Tuivasa is currently on a three-fight losing skid, which ended his unbeaten run as a professional fighter. Struve, who’s been fighting in the UFC since 2009, has experienced rough stretches after running hot early in his career.
The 32-year-old understands how Tuivasa could be feeling entering UFC 254.
“You’re questioning why it’s happening before you were winning all those fights,” Struve said. “Of course you’re fighting higher level competition, but of course you’re going to question yourself and if you have to change some things around. I know what I can do when I lost those fights. Of course I questioned some things, but at the same time he’s a really good fighter, and he knows his strength, and he knows what to do when he goes in there. Sometimes you get what you’re looking for. Sometimes you don’t, especially at this level.”