Marcin Tybura seemed dwarfed by Stefan Struve on Sunday at UFC Hamburg — but that didn’t stop him from hoisting the ‘Skyscraper’ up and dropping him onto his back numerous times.
Heavyweight action was set to make a big impact at UFC Hamburg on Sunday, as the UFC stormed into Germany. Set to clash: Poland’s Marcin Tybura, and Dutch ‘Skyscraper’ Stefan Struve. Struve entered the night 2-2 in his last four, while Tybura had dropped two straight to Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis.
Struve opened the action with a leg kick, but just under a minute in, Tybura landed a takedown with seeming ease. Struve had Tybura in his guard, and with his long limbs, he was clearly a threat on the ground, with plenty of submission wins to his name. Tybura would work from guard without much success for a good portion of the round, until the ref stood the pair up. A few kicks from Struve landed on the legs of his opponent; Tybura scored a big takedown to finish off the round.
In the second, Tybura earned another take down early. This time, Struve was laying along the fence, and earned a warning from the ref for getting his feet in the cage. Struve would power back up, bloodied but undeterred, and pushed forward. Tybura would try to clinch, but Struve broke free and landed a knee, then connected with a punch. Tybura changed levels, and would eventually scoop Stefan Struve up and drop him on his back. An impressive feat given the size differential. They’d end the round with Tybura up on the scorecards.
Round three saw a little more action on the feet, in the sense that they stayed standing. However, Struve appeared to be nursing a hand injury. And by the end, Tybura had felled the ‘Skyscraper’ again, dropping hammer fists from guard. He never came close to finishing, but he’d certainly earned the win.
Marcin Tybura def. Stefan Struve by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
