‘Big’ Ben Rothwell will face the ‘Skyscraper’ Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, DC later this year.
A couple of veteran heavyweights will go at it in the nation’s capital later this winter. On Tuesday, UFC officials announced that Stefan Struve, who seemed to be contemplating retirement following his last fight, would join the UFC DC (as in Washington, D.C.) card against Ben Rothwell. The event, which takes place in December, serves as UFC on ESPN 7.
Struve (29-11) will enter UFC DC off a submission win against Marcos Rogerio de Lima back at UFC Prague earlier this year. Following that win, Struve, who has gone through a number of health issues, including heart troubles, teased retirement. It seems the 31-year old is sticking around a little longer, however. In a statement provided to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Stuve’s manager Lex McMahon confirmed the heavyweight had a new deal.
The statement reads, in part, “the UFC was very supportive of Stefan and gave him a deal that gives him the opportunity to earn a tremendous amount of money and compensates him for what he is, a highly marketable veteran who is near the very top of the division in terms of fights, wins, finishes, and performance bonuses.”
The towering ‘Skyscraper’ has been with the UFC a decade, since UFC 95. Despite that, he is still just 31 years old, essentially a spring chicken in the aged heavyweight division.
Ben Rothwell (36-12) is another veteran of the heavyweight ranks, but will enter UFC DC just 6-6 in his UFC tenure. He’s also lost three straight, which marks the first losing streak of a career that began in 2001. Most recently, he dropped a decision to Andrei Arlovski at UFC San Antonio.
UFC on ESPN 7 / UFC DC takes place December 7 at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.
